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2022, Biographies, British Championships, Games Analysis, History, Journalism, Minor Pieces, Player, Richard James

Minor Pieces 29: George Edward Wainwright Part 4

April 1, 2022 Richard James 1 Comment

Last time we left George Edward Wainwright at the time of the 1921 census, when, approaching the age of 60, he’d recently retired from his senior post with the now defunct Local Government Board and moved to his wife’s home village of Box, not far from Bath.

Chess in London for him was now over: no more City of London Championships. But, as always, he’d wasted no time in joining his nearest chess club, in the City of Bath.

The first record we have for him there was the previous December where he defeated the celebrated problemist Comins Mansfield on top board in a match against Bristol & Clifton. (Bristol’s Board 10, intriguingly, was Agnes Augusta Talboys (née Snell), an artist famous for her paintings of Persian cats, sometimes playing chess.)

The 1921 British Championship Congress was held in Malvern, and it was here that George Edward Wainwright scored one of his best results, sharing third place with Reginald Pryce Michell, behind Fred Dewhirst Yates and Sir George Alan Thomas.

Here he is in play against Roland Henry Vaughan Scott.

Stockfish 14 doesn’t agree that Wainwright should have won this game. Opening up the kingside left his own king the more exposed, and Scott found a rather unusual winning move.

Here’s the game. (Click on any move in any game in this article for a pop-up window.)

[pgn]

[Event “British CF-14 Championship”]
[Site “Malvern College/ Worcestershire”]
[Date “1921.08.15”]
[Round “7”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Black “Scott, Roland Henry Vaughan”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “B13”]
[PlyCount “58”]
[EventDate “1921.08.08”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “11”]
[EventCountry “ENG”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2017”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. e4 c6 2. d4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5
4. Nf3 Nc6 5. c3 Nf6 6. Be2 $146 (6. Ne5 {keeps more tension.} Bf5 7. Bb5 Qc8
8. Qa4 a6 9. Bxc6+ bxc6 10. Nd2) ({Predecessor:} 6. Na3 e6 7. Nc2 Bd6 8. Bg5
Qc7 9. Bxf6 gxf6 10. Ne3 Bd7 11. Bd3 Be7 12. Qe2 Qf4 13. g3 Qd6 {1-0 (27)
Mahood,J-Hamond,F Cheltenham/ Gloucestershire 1913}) 6… Bf5 {B13: Caro-Kann:
Exchange Variation and Panov-Botvinnik Attack.} 7. Bf4 h6 8. Nbd2 g5 {White
has an edge.} 9. Bg3 Bg7 10. Qb3 Qc8 11. O-O O-O 12. Ne5 e6 13. f4 g4 14. Rae1
h5 15. Qd1 Qc7 (15… Ne4 {is interesting.} 16. Bf2 f6 17. Nxe4 Bxe4 18. Nd3 f5
) 16. h3 {[%cal Rh3g4]} gxh3 17. Bxh5 Nxh5 18. Qxh5 hxg2 19. Kxg2 {[#] Black
must now prevent Ndf3.} (19. Rf2 $5 {[%cal Rf2g2]}) 19… f6 {Dancing on a
razor blade.} 20. Nef3 Qf7 21. Qxf7+ Kxf7 ({Much worse is} 21… Rxf7 $6 22.
Nh4 $11) 22. Re3 Rh8 $36 {[%mdl 2048] Black is on the roll.} 23. Nh4 Bg4 24.
Ndf3 Ne7 25. Rfe1 Rh7 {Threatens to win with …Rg8.} 26. Nh2 Bf5 27. Nxf5 Nxf5
28. Rxe6 Rg8 {[#] …Bh6 is the strong threat.} 29. Ng4 {[%mdl 8192]} (29. Nf1
$17) 29… Bh8 {Source: BCM, Sept 1921, p327. Weighted Error Value: White=0.
66/Black=0.39} 0-1

[/pgn]

He had some luck in a couple of other games. Sir George Thomas, better known as a steady positional player, gave up material but misplayed the attack, erring on move 20.

[pgn]

[Event “British CF-14 Championship”]
[Site “Malvern College/ Worcestershi”]
[Date “1921.08.11”]
[Round “4”]
[White “Thomas, Sir George Alan”]
[Black “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “C84”]
[PlyCount “86”]
[EventDate “1921.08.08”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “11”]
[EventCountry “ENG”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2017”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5
a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Nc3 d6 7. d3 (7. Bxc6+ $5 bxc6 8. d4 $11) 7… O-O
{C84: Closed Ruy Lopez: Unusual White 6th moves.} (7… b5 $5 {[%cal Rb5a4]} 8.
Bb3 Na5 $11) (7… b5 8. Bb3 Bg4 9. Ne2 Bxf3 10. gxf3 Qd7 11. Kg2 Nh5 12. Bd5
Rd8 13. f4 exf4 14. Nxf4 Nxf4+ 15. Bxf4 Nd4 16. c3 Ne6 17. Bg3 c6 18. Bb3 O-O {
1/2-1/2 (44) Thomas,G-Wainwright,G Edinburgh 1920}) 8. h3 (8. Bxc6 $5 bxc6 9.
b3 $11) 8… Nd7 (8… b5 $5 {[%cal Rb5a4]} 9. Bb3 Na5 $11) 9. Be3 f5 {The
position is equal.} (9… b5 $5 {[%cal Rb5a4]} 10. Bb3 Na5 $11) 10. exf5 Rxf5
11. Bb3+ Kh8 12. Ne4 Qe8 $146 ({Predecessor:} 12… Nc5 13. Bxc5 dxc5 14. Ng3
Rf8 15. Re1 Bd6 16. Re4 Bd7 17. c3 Qf6 18. Nh5 Qh6 {1-0 (52) Fox,A-Barry,J
Cambridge Springs 1904}) 13. Nfg5 (13. Be6 $6 Rf8 $11) 13… Nd8 14. f4 (14.
Qd2 {keeps more tension.} a5 15. a4 Qg6 16. g4 Rf8 17. f4) 14… exf4 15. Bxf4
{Threatens to win with Qd2.} Bxg5 $2 (15… h6 $11 {and Black is okay.} 16. Ne6
Nxe6 17. Bxe6 Rf8) 16. Nxg5 $2 (16. Bxg5 $18 Ne5 17. d4) 16… Rxf4 {[%mdl
8192]} 17. Rxf4 $18 Qe3+ 18. Rf2 $1 {[%cal Od1e1,Bf4f2,Bf2e2,Be2e4][%mdl 32]
And now Qe1! would win.} Qxg5 19. Qe2 {White threatens Qe8+ and mate.} Qe5 {
Inhibits Qe8+.} 20. Qf3 $4 {[%mdl 8192]} (20. Re1 $18 {and all is fine.}) 20…
Nf6 $19 {Hoping for …Be6.} 21. Re2 Qd4+ 22. Kh1 {[%cal Oe2e8]} Bd7 {Prevents
Re8+.} 23. c3 Qh4 24. Re4 Qh6 {Strongly threatening …Bc6.} 25. Rae1 {[%cal
Oe4e8] White wants to mate with Re8+!} Nc6 (25… Bc6 $2 26. Re8+ $3 {[%mdl
512]} Bxe8 27. Rxe8+ $1 {[%mdl 512]} Nxe8 28. Qf8#) 26. R4e2 Rf8 (26… Bg4 {
gets mated.} 27. Re8+ $3 {[%mdl 512]}) 27. d4 Na5 ({But not} 27… Bg4 {[#]}
28. Re8 $3 {[%mdl 512]} g5 29. Rxf8+ Qxf8 30. Re8 $3 {[%mdl 512]} Bxf3 31.
Rxf8+ Kg7 32. Rf7+ Kg6 33. gxf3 $18) 28. Be6 Bxe6 29. Rxe6 {[%cal Oe6e8]} Nc6
30. b4 $2 (30. Re8 $17 g5 31. Rxf8+ Qxf8 32. Qf2) 30… Kg8 31. a4 Qh4 {
[%cal Oc6e5] aiming for …Ne5!} 32. b5 $2 (32. Rf1 {is more resistant.}) 32…
axb5 33. axb5 {[#]} Ne5 {[%cal Bc6e5,Be5g6,Bg6f4][%mdl 544]} 34. Qe2 (34. R1xe5
dxe5) 34… Ng6 35. Qc4 {Black must now prevent Rxf6+.} d5 ({Not} 35… Rf7 $2
36. Qb3 $19) 36. Qxc7 Ne4 37. Re3 Qf2 {( -> …Qf1+)} 38. R3xe4 (38. R6xe4 $142
dxe4 39. Qc4+ Qf7 40. Qxf7+ Kxf7 41. Rxe4) 38… dxe4 39. Rxe4 Nf4 40. Rxf4
Qxf4 41. Qxb7 Qg3 {[%cal Rf8f1]} 42. Qd5+ Kh8 {[%cal Rf8f1]} 43. Qc4 {Against
Rf1+} Re8 {Sources: Times Literary Supplement, 1 Sept 1921; Birmingham Post,
12 Aug 1921. What a bad dream for White. Weighted Error Value: White=1.10/
Black=0.73} 0-1

[/pgn]

Michell played a Maroczy Bind against Wainwright’s Sicilian Dragon, gained an overwhelming positional advantage but lost the thread, and, with the draw in hand, allowed transposition into a lost pawn ending.

[pgn]

[Event “British CF-14 Championship”]
[Site “Malvern College/ Worcestershi”]
[Date “1921.08.16”]
[Round “8”]
[White “Michell, Reginald Pryce”]
[Black “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “B38”]
[PlyCount “86”]
[EventDate “1921.08.08”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “11”]
[EventCountry “ENG”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2017”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4
Bg7 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nc3 d6 8. Be2 Bd7 9. O-O O-O 10. f3 a6 11. Qd2 Nxd4 12. Bxd4
Bc6 $146 ({Predecessor:} 12… Ne8 13. Be3 Nc7 14. Rad1 Bc6 15. Nd5 Nxd5 16.
exd5 Bd7 17. b4 a5 18. a3 axb4 19. axb4 b6 20. Bd3 {1-0 (44) Balla,Z-Saburov,P
Ostend 1906}) 13. b4 {B38: Sicilian: Maroczy Bind with 5…Bg7 and 7…0-0.}
Ne8 14. a4 {[%cal Ba2a4,Ba4a5][%mdl 32]} Nc7 $2 (14… Bxd4+ $16 {keeps
fighting.} 15. Qxd4 Ng7) 15. Bxg7 $18 {White has a decisive advantage.} Kxg7
16. a5 Bd7 17. Rfd1 Be6 18. e5 dxe5 19. Qe3 {[%csl LRd8,LRe5]} Qc8 (19… Qb8
20. Qxe5+ Kg8) 20. Qxe5+ f6 21. Qc5 {Strongly threatening Na4.} Kf7 22. Na4 {
[%cal Bc3a4,Ba4b6,Bb6d5][%mdl 32]} Ne8 23. Rab1 Rb8 24. Nb6 Qxc5+ 25. bxc5 Nc7
26. Nd5 Rfc8 27. Nb6 Rd8 28. Rxd8 Rxd8 29. Rb2 {Against Rd2} Ke8 (29… Bc8 $5)
30. Kf2 Bc8 31. Nxc8 Rxc8 32. Rxb7 $11 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame aiming for Rb6.
KRB-KRN} Ne6 33. Rb6 {[%csl LRa6,LRe6]} Nxc5 34. f4 {With the idea Ke3.} Kd7
35. Ke3 Rc6 {And now …Rxb6 would win.} 36. Bf3 $2 {[#]} (36. Rb8 $11 {
and White is okay.}) 36… Rd6 $2 (36… Rxb6 $1 $19 37. axb6 Kd6) 37. Be4 $2 {
[%mdl 8192]} (37. Rxd6+ $11 Kxd6 38. g3) 37… Rxb6 $19 {Black is clearly
winning.} 38. axb6 Nxe4 39. Kxe4 {KP-KP} Kc6 40. c5 a5 {[%cal Ba6a5,Ba5a4]
[%mdl 32]} 41. g4 a4 {Hoping for …a3.} 42. Kd3 {[#]} e5 $1 {[%cal Be7e5,
Be5e4][%mdl 32]} ({Not} 42… a3 43. Kc3 e6 44. Kb3 $11) 43. g5 e4+ $1 {
Source: Yorkshire Post, 18 Aug 1921. Contributed by Gerard Killoran. Weighted
Error Value: White=0.85/Black=0.28 (precise)} 0-1

[/pgn]

There was no competition for the British Championship in 1922: the congress itself, in London, featured an international tournament (1st Capablanca, 2nd Alekhine) as its top section. Wainwright didn’t take part but may well have visited as a spectator.

He was back again at Southsea in 1923, where he scored a creditable 6/11 (no draws: remarkably there were only eight drawn games out of 66), finishing in 5th place. Sir George Thomas took the title for the first time, with Yates just behind in second place. Sir George also won the Men’s Singles in the All England Open Badminton Championship in the same year, a feat which will surely never be repeated.

Wainwright was snapped again by The Sphere, this time in a game he won against tournament tail-ender William Gooding. Unfortunately, the moves of this game are unavailable.

Against the Scottish solicitor William Gibson, he built up a slow kingside attack, concluding with a queen sacrifice.

[pgn]

[Event “British CF-16 Championship”]
[Site “Portsmouth (Southsea)”]
[Date “1923.08.14”]
[Round “2”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward Sr”]
[Black “Gibson, William”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “C83”]
[PlyCount “95”]
[EventDate “1923.08.13”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “11”]
[EventCountry “ENG”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2017”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. e4 {Algemeen Handelsblad} e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O
Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Be7 10. Re1 O-O 11. Be3 {C83: Open
Ruy Lopez: 9 c3 Be7.} Qd7 $146 ({Predecessor:} 11… Na5 12. Bc2 c5 13. Nbd2
Nxd2 14. Qxd2 Nc4 15. Qc1 Qc7 16. Bf4 Rfd8 17. b3 Nb6 18. Qe3 d4 19. cxd4 {
0-1 (50) Krueger,P-Van Trotsenburg,B Nijmegen 1914 EXT 2016 [Algemeen
Handelsblad]}) 12. Nbd2 Nc5 {[#] And now …Nd3 would win.} 13. Bc2 {Prevents
Nd3. White is better.} Rad8 14. Bxc5 Bxc5 15. Nb3 Be7 16. a4 $40 {[%mdl 128]
White has some attack.} ({Don’t take} 16. Qd3 $6 g6 $14) 16… b4 17. Qd3 {
[%csl Gc2,LRa6,LRh7][%cal Rd3h7]} g6 18. Qxa6 Ra8 19. Qd3 {White is more
active.} Rfb8 20. Nfd4 {Pair of Knights!} Nd8 21. Nxe6 Nxe6 22. c4 d4 23. Rad1
{aiming for a5.} c5 24. Nc1 $2 (24. a5 $18 {and the rest is easy.}) 24… Bf8
$2 (24… b3 $16 25. Bxb3 Bg5) 25. b3 $18 Bg7 (25… Bh6 {was called for.} 26.
Qe4 Bxc1) 26. Qg3 Re8 27. Be4 Ra6 28. Nd3 Qe7 29. f4 Nf8 30. Bd5 Kh8 31. Rd2 {
[%cal Bd1d2,Bd2e2,Be2h2][%mdl 32]} Nd7 32. Rde2 Nf8 {[%cal Bd7f8,Bf8e6,Be6g7,
Bg7f5,Bf5e3][%mdl 32]} 33. h4 Bh6 34. Qg4 Ne6 35. g3 {[%cal Bg2g3,Bg3g4,Bg4g5]
[%mdl 32]} Rg8 36. Rh2 Ng7 37. Kf2 Nf5 38. Qf3 Ne3 39. g4 Bf8 40. g5 Qd7 41.
Rg1 {Inhibits Ng4+.} Rg7 42. h5 Qc7 43. Bb7 Rb6 44. Be4 Qd7 45. Qh3 Qd8 46.
Rgh1 gxh5 47. Qxh5 h6 {[#]} 48. Qxh6+ $1 {[%mdl 512] Sources: Manchester
Guardian, 16 Aug 1923; BCM, Oct 1923, p385. Weighted Error Value: White=0.36/
Black=0.80} 1-0

[/pgn]

Wainwright also sacrificed his queen against the Australian Civil Servant Charles Gilbert Steele. (Steele would meet a premature death the following year, falling off a railway station platform in front of an oncoming train.) Despite Stockfish’s double exclamation mark for artistic merit it only turned a winning position (34… Kf8!) into a level position, but he was later able to force resignation by sacrificing one of his rooks.

[pgn]

[Event “British CF-16 Championship”]
[Site “Portsmouth (Southsea)”]
[Date “1923.08.13”]
[Round “1”]
[White “Steele, Charles Gilbert”]
[Black “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “A00”]
[PlyCount “112”]
[EventDate “1923.08.13”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “11”]
[EventCountry “ENG”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2017”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. Nc3 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Qxd4 Nc6 $146 ({Predecessor:} 3…
Nf6 4. e4 Nc6 5. Qa4 Bc5 6. Nf3 O-O 7. Bg5 d6 8. O-O-O Bd7 9. Qc4 Re8 10. Nd5
Ne5 11. Nxe5 Rxe5 12. f4 Be6 13. fxe5 Bxd5 14. exd5 h6 15. Bxf6 gxf6 16. e6
fxe6 17. dxe6 {1-0 (17) Dodds,G-Moore,S Auckland 1914}) 4. Qa4 Nf6 5. Bg5 Be7
6. e4 {A00: Irregular Openings.} h6 7. Bh4 d6 8. O-O-O {[%cal Oe4e5] Black has
an edge.} Bd7 9. Be2 O-O 10. f4 a6 11. Bxf6 Bxf6 12. Nd5 Re8 13. Bd3 b5 $36 {
[%mdl 2048] White is under strong pressure.} 14. Qa3 Be6 15. Nxf6+ Qxf6 (15…
gxf6 16. Qc3 Bd7 17. Nf3 $14) 16. g3 Bg4 17. Re1 Nd4 {Threatens to win with …
a5. Black is much more active.} 18. h3 Bd7 {[%cal Bg4d7,Bd7c6,Bc6d5][%mdl 32] .
..c5 is the strong threat.} 19. c3 $2 {[#]} (19. Ne2) 19… Ne6 $2 (19… Nf5
$1 {[%mdl 512]} 20. Ne2 (20. Nf3 Nxg3) 20… Nxg3 $1 {[%mdl 512]} 21. Nxg3
Qxf4+ 22. Kb1 Qxg3) 20. Nf3 $19 Nc5 21. Bc2 Bc6 22. e5 {[#]} dxe5 23. fxe5 (23.
Qxc5 Bxf3) 23… Qe7 ({Stronger than} 23… Qxf3 24. Qxc5 Rad8 25. Rhf1 $11)
24. Rhf1 a5 $2 (24… Bd5 $19 {and Black stays clearly on top. And now …a5
would win.} 25. Kb1 Nd7) 25. Kb1 $2 (25. e6 $17 Nxe6 26. Qxe7 Rxe7 27. Nd4)
25… Bd5 {[%cal Ob5b4] aiming for …b4!} 26. b3 a4 27. b4 Nb3 28. Be4 $2 ({
Avoid the trap} 28. axb3 $2 axb3 29. Qc1 bxc2+ 30. Qxc2 Ra2 $19) (28. Rd1 Bxf3
29. Rxf3) 28… Bxe4+ 29. Rxe4 {[#]} Na5 (29… Qd8 $142 $1 {Hoping for …
Qd3+.} 30. Kc2 {[#]} (30. Ree1 Qd3+) 30… Qd5 $1) 30. Rg4 $2 {[#]} (30. e6 Nc4
31. Qc1) 30… Qd7 $1 31. Nd4 Nc4 32. Qc1 Nxe5 33. Rxg7+ Kxg7 34. Nf5+ {[#]}
Qxf5+ $3 {[%mdl 512]} 35. Rxf5 $11 {Black must now prevent Qf4.} Nd3 {Against
Qf4} 36. Qd2 Rad8 {Strongly threatening …Re1+.} 37. Rf1 {[%cal Oc3c4]
Inhibits Re1+.} ({But not} 37. Rxb5 Re1+ 38. Kc2 Rh1 $17) 37… Rd6 (37… Ne1
$5 {[%cal Rd8d2]} 38. Qc1 Ng2 $11) 38. c4 bxc4 39. Qc3+ Ne5 40. Re1 f6 (40…
Rd3 $5 {[%cal Rd3c3]} 41. Qc2 a3 $11) 41. Qc2 (41. Qa3 $5 {[%cal Ra3a4]}) 41…
a3 42. Qa4 {[%csl LRa3,LRe8]} Rb8 43. Qxa3 Rdb6 (43… Nc6 $5 {[%cal Rc6b4]})
44. Kc2 Rxb4 45. Kc3 {[%cal Oe1e5]} c5 46. Qa7+ Kg6 47. Rxe5 fxe5 48. Qxc5 $14
{[%mdl 4096] Endgame KQ-KRR} Kf5 49. Qf2+ {[%mdl 1024] White has compensation.}
Ke6 50. g4 R8b6 51. Qf5+ Kd5 52. h4 Rb1 (52… Rb7 $2 53. Qf3+ Kd6 54. Qf6+ Kd5
55. Qf3+ Kd6 56. Qf8+ Kd5 57. Qf3+ $16) 53. Qf3+ Ke6 {The board is on fire.}
54. Qf5+ Kd5 55. Qf3+ Ke6 56. g5 $2 {[%mdl 8192] [#]} (56. Qa8 $11) 56… R6b3+
$3 {[%mdl 512] Source: BCM, Jan 1924, p25. Weighted Error Value: White=0.74/
Black=0.54} 0-1

[/pgn]

This time round he beat Roland Scott in a fluctuating game, essaying the English Opening, which was just starting to become popular.

[pgn]

[Event “British CF-16 Championship”]
[Site “Portsmouth (Southsea)”]
[Date “1923.08.18”]
[Round “6”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward Sr”]
[Black “Scott, Roland Henry”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “A20”]
[PlyCount “75”]
[EventDate “1923.08.13”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “11”]
[EventCountry “ENG”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2017”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. c4 f5 2.
g3 e5 3. Bg2 Nf6 4. d3 $146 ({Predecessor:} 4. Nc3 Be7 5. d4 exd4 6. Qxd4 c6 7.
Nh3 Na6 8. a3 Nc5 9. Qd1 O-O 10. O-O Nce4 11. Qc2 d5 12. Rd1 Be6 {0-1 (44)
City Hyderabad-City Madras corr 1828}) 4… Bc5 5. Nc3 c6 6. Nf3 {A20: English
Opening: 1…e5.} d6 7. a3 Ng4 8. e3 {[%cal Be2e3,Be3d4][%mdl 32] White is
clearly better.} O-O 9. h3 Nf6 10. d4 exd4 11. exd4 (11. Nxd4 $6 Qe7 $14) 11…
Qe8+ 12. Be3 Bb6 13. O-O Nh5 14. Qd3 $2 (14. Re1 $18 {is more deadly.}) 14…
f4 $16 15. Bxf4 (15. Ng5 Bf5 16. Be4 Qg6 17. Bxf5 (17. gxf4 $2 h6 $19) 17…
Rxf5 $17) 15… Nxf4 16. gxf4 {And now Rae1 would win.} Rxf4 17. Rae1 (17. c5
dxc5 18. Rae1 Qf8 $14) 17… Qh5 18. Qe3 Rf8 19. Ne2 Qf7 (19… Bxh3 $2 20. Nf4
Rxf4 21. Qxf4 $18) 20. Nd2 d5 $2 (20… Na6 $11 {and Black has nothing to
worry.}) 21. cxd5 $18 cxd5 {[#]} 22. Ng3 $2 ({Don’t do} 22. Nc3 $6 Kh8 $16) (
22. Nf4 $1 $18 {[%mdl 512]} Kh8 23. Nxd5 (23. Bxd5 Qf6 $14)) 22… Nc6 $15 23.
Qg5 Rd8 24. Nf3 {[%cal Bd2f3,Bf3e5,Be5c6][%mdl 32]} h6 25. Qh4 Bf5 26. Re3 {
Prevents Bd3.} Rd6 {aiming for …g5.} 27. Qf4 Rf6 28. Ne5 {[#]} Bc7 $2 {
[%mdl 8192] This bishop pair is nice.} (28… Bg6 $1 $17 {[%mdl 512] stays on
course.} 29. Nxf7 Rxf4) 29. Bxd5 $2 {[%mdl 8192] White is more active.} Qxd5
$19 30. Nxf5 {[#] Black must now prevent Qg4.} Raf8 $2 (30… Qe6 $1 $19 31.
Nxc6 (31. Nxg7 $2 Kxg7 32. Qe4 Kh8 $19) 31… Bxf4 32. Rxe6 Rxe6 33. Nce7+ Kf7)
31. Nxc6 $15 Rg6+ $2 {[%mdl 8192]} ({Don’t play} 31… Bxf4 32. Nce7+ Kh7 33.
Nxd5 $14) (31… Qxc6 $15 {keeps the upper hand.} 32. Ne7+ Kh8) 32. Rg3 $1 $18
Rxg3+ (32… Bxf4 $142 33. Nce7+ Kh7 34. Nxd5 Bxg3 35. fxg3 Rd8) 33. fxg3 Qd7 {
[#]} 34. Nxh6+ $1 {White mates.} Kh7 35. Qe4+ Kxh6 36. Rxf8 bxc6 37. Rh8+ Kg5
38. h4+ {Sources: Glasgow Herald, 20 Oct 1923; BCM, Nov 1923. p420. Never
resign too early! Weighted Error Value: White=0.69/Black=0.97} 1-0

[/pgn]

In 1924 a chess festival was held in Weston-Super-Mare, with the participation of future world champion Max Euwe (1st) from the Netherlands, the Paris-based Russian master Eugene Znosko-Borovsky (3rd) and eight English amateurs led by Sir George Thomas (2nd). George Edward Wainwright was invited to take part, but only managed a disappointing 1½/9. He lost his first six games, drawing with Cyril Duffield of Bristol in round 7 and finally managing a win against local player Captain Percivale David Bolland in the final round. (Capt Bolland was a retired and disabled army officer who had served in the Welch Regiment and would later find employment as a Laundry Manager.)

Here’s his final tournament game in which he faced the dashing Max Lange Attack, winning when his opponent blundered on move 34.

[pgn]

[Event “Weston Super Mare”]
[Site “Weston”]
[Date “1924.04.25”]
[Round “9”]
[White “Bolland, Percivale David”]
[Black “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “C56”]
[PlyCount “70”]
[EventDate “1924.04.19”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “9”]
[EventCountry “ENG”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 1999”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “1998.11.16”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “1998.11.16”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Nf6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nf3 Nc6
5. O-O Bc5 6. e5 d5 7. exf6 dxc4 8. Re1+ Be6 9. Ng5 Qd5 10. Nc3 Qf5 11. Nce4
O-O-O 12. Nxc5 Qxc5 13. Rxe6 $146 {C56: Two Knights: 4 d4 exd4 5 0-0 Nxe4.} (
13. Nxe6 fxe6 14. fxg7 Rhg8 $15) (13. fxg7 Rhg8 $11) ({Predecessor:} 13. Nxe6
fxe6 14. Rxe6 gxf6 15. Rxf6 Rhg8 16. Qf3 Nb4 17. Qe4 Qd5 18. Qxd5 Rxd5 19. Bd2
Nxc2 20. Rc1 d3 21. Re6 Nd4 {0-1 (21) Langborg,H-Spielmann,R Stockholm 1909})
13… fxe6 14. Nxe6 Qe5 15. Nxd8 {Black is better.} Kxd8 16. fxg7 (16. f7 Rf8
$15) 16… Qxg7 17. Qh5 {Black must now prevent Qd5+.} Qe5 {[%cal Re5e1]
Against Qd5+} 18. Bg5+ Kc8 19. Qg4+ (19. h4 $5 {[%cal Rh5f7]}) 19… Kb8 {
And now …Rg8 would win.} 20. Bf4 Qd5 {[#]} (20… Qf6 $11) 21. Bxc7+ $1 $16 {
[%mdl 512]} Ka8 {aiming for …Rg8.} 22. Bg3 Rg8 23. Qf4 a6 24. Rd1 Re8 25. f3
Re2 26. Bf2 $2 (26. Rd2 $18 Re8 27. h3) 26… Rxc2 $11 ({Don’t take} 26… Qg8
27. Rd2 Qe6 28. h3 $16) 27. Bxd4 {Qf8+ is the strong threat.} (27. Rxd4 $5 Nxd4
28. Bxd4 $15) 27… Nxd4 $40 {[%mdl 128] Black mounts an attack.} 28. Rxd4 {
[%mdl 4096] Endgame KQR-KQR} Qc5 29. Kf1 $2 {[%mdl 8192]} (29. h4 $11) 29…
Ka7 $2 (29… Rxb2 $19 30. Qe3 Ka7) 30. Rd2 $14 Rc1+ 31. Ke2 {Strongly
threatening Qd4.} Rg1 32. Qg4 Qe5+ 33. Qe4 Rxg2+ 34. Ke1 $2 {[%mdl 8192] [#]} (
34. Ke3 $17 Qc5+ 35. Qd4 Qxd4+ 36. Rxd4) 34… Rg1+ 35. Kf2 Qxh2+ {Never
resign too early! Weighted Error Value: White=0.77/Black=0.73} 0-1

[/pgn]

Perhaps discouraged by this result, Wainwright decided to retire from tournament chess, although he continued playing club chess until Spring 1926. One of his last games, which I may look at elsewhere, was again against Comins Mansfield, where he lost a winning rook ending two pawns up.

In January 1933 his friend Charles Dealtry Locock (another important but forgotten figure in British chess who deserves a Minor Piece or two) wrote about him in a memoir in the British Chess Magazine.

In 1881 I went to the University College, Oxford, and finding that the hon. secretary of the ‘Varsity Chess Club was at that college I at once left a card on him. A few hours later came a knock on my door, and entered a man, one year my senior, with a round bespectacled face, who announced himself as G. E. Wainwright. We did not guess then what hundreds of games we should play together, nor how often the rosy-fingered Dawn would surprise us still playing. On this occasion we had a trial game and Wainwright defeated me with a King’s Gambit.

George Edward Wainwright died on 31 August that year at the age of 71, his death being registered in Keynsham, near Bristol, a place a whole generation grew up knowing how to spell.

Another friend – and opponent in City of London Championships, Philip Walsingham Sergeant (Edward Guthlac’s second cousin and notable chronicler of British chess) wrote an obituary for the October 1933 issue of British Chess Magazine.

Though he had dropped out of chess for some years – practically since he retired from Government service and went to live at Box, Wiltshire – the death of G. E. Wainwright came as a painful shock to his very numerous friends of the past, to whom his bright and mercurial temperament was still a pleasant memory. His achievements at chess are also still vivid in the mind though not, of all, since many of them go back well into the past.

Born in Yorkshire on November 2, 1861, G. E. Wainwright went up to University College, Oxford, in 1880, and in the Michaelmas Term of the following year he was hon. secretary of the O.U.Ch.C. (see an article by his friend C. D. Locock in our January number of the present year), while in 1882 he became president. He played five times for Oxford, a record which he shared with Locock, W. M. Gattie, the Rev. E. H. Kinder, and R. W. (later Sir Richard) Barnett; for in those days there was no such limitation as there is to-day with regard to playing for one’s University. He was 6th board in 1881 and 2nd board in 1882-5, scoring in all 4 wins, 2 draws, and one loss. After leaving Oxford he quickly made his mark in metropolitan chess, indeed in English chess generally. In 1889 he won the Newnes Challenge Cup, which was equivalent to the Amateur Championship. In later days he competed in the B.C.F. tournaments for the British Championship in 1905 (when he was 6th), 1906 (equal 3rd), 1907 (eq. 2nd), 1909 (eq. 6th), 1910 (eq. 4th), 1920 (8th), 1921 (eq. 3rd), and 1923 (5th).

At the City of London Chess Club he was always to the fore, and won the championship twice, in 1907 and, after a triple tie, in 1918.

He played in the Anglo-American cable matches five times, in 1899, 1907, 1908, 1909, and 1910, his highest board being 4th in 1909.

Wainwright will be vividly remembered by all his opponents of old for his remarkably rapid play. Yet the present writer remembers one occasion on which Wainwright took three-quarters of an hour over a single move against him – duly apologising afterwards, though the position was exceedingly difficult. Three-quarters of an hour over a whole game was more like his usual style! He was a great springer of ‘wild-cats’ on his adversaries; and his attacks, even when unsound, were very difficult to meet, inspired as they were by a strong personality, very rapid sight of the board, and a healthy confidence. In addition, he had studied the game deeply, beginning in his University days, if not sooner.

George Edward Wainwright was an important, but mostly forgotten figure in English chess, of master standard at his best, with a highly attractive style of play. Apart from this obituary, there’s little about what he was like as a person, but his vivacious attacks and speed of play were often mentioned. It’s clear he was a lifelong chess addict, and if Sergeant’s obituary is anything to go by, a splendid chap as well. We can certainly see traits of loyalty – to his career-long job in the Local Government Service, and to his family, from caring for his elderly mother to retiring to his wife’s home village.

It remains to look at what happened to his children.

George Edward junior was, as we’ve already seen, also a chess player, but at a lower level, and, like his father worked in local government – in Ilkley, where his father grew up.

In 1916 he married Jane Savile, who had previously been married briefly to a Polish waiter, an ‘illegal alien’ who had moved to London and committed various criminal offences. They moved to Liverpool and later, it seems down to Surrey, where he died in 1950.

Philip Francis Wainwright worked in the photography business, but served as a paymaster in the Royal Navy in the First World War. For some reason he changed his surname to Pictor-Wayne – Pictor being his mother’s surname. In the 1920s his business hit financial problems and he was declared bankrupt. He lived in London, married and had a son, but later returned to the Bath area where he died in 1969.

Constance Margaret Wainwright married a first cousin, Alan Newman Pictor, and had two daughters, the first born in Surbiton and the second, exotically, in Fiji. They moved to Bath, and, after the death of her husband, she retired to Wimbledon, where she died in 1982.

David had an eventful life. He served as an officer in the Royal Navy during World War One. In 1916 it was reported that he had been killed at the Battle of Jutland, but in fact he was a Prisoner of War. He later returned to duty and in 1919 was awarded the Albert Medal for gallantry in saving life at sea. On leaving the Royal Navy he joined the Palestine Police, where he married and had a son. Returning to England he took a job as a salesman, but then, in 1938, became an Observer in Czechoslovakia, in which role he was commended by Lord Halifax.

In March 1939 he was to meet a sudden and tragic end. Returning to England, in the Naval Reserve and with global conflict again on the horizon, he went on a refresher course at Portland, Dorset, walked out of his hotel, and later his body was found in the sea off Chesil Beach. For further information on David Wainwright see here.

Come back soon for some more Minor Pieces featuring chess players from Twickenham, Richmond and who knows where else.

Sources:

ancestry.co.uk

findmypast.co.uk

chessgames.com

BritBase

MegaBase 2022

EdoChess

British Chess Magazine 1933

Various other websites linked above.

2022, Books, Games Collection, History, Reviews, Richard James, Thinkers Publishing

Modern Chess– From Steinitz to the 21st Century

March 31, 2022 Richard James 1 Comment

From the publishers’ blurb:

“The revolutionary Wilhelm Steinitz (1836-1900) considered himself to be in the vanguard of an emerging, late-19th century ‘Modern’ school, which embraced a new, essentially scientific vitality in its methods of research, analysis, evaluation, planning, experiment and even belligerent fight. Steinitz, who dominated the chess world in the shadow of a more directly attacking, openly tactical and combinative, so-called ‘romantic’ age, established a much firmer positional basis to chess. A pivotal change! This book follows that story, both before and beyond Steinitz’s early ‘modern’ era, focusing closely on the subtly varied ways in which the world’s greatest players in the last two centuries have thought about and played the game, moving it forward. The author reflects on all sixteen ‘classical’ world champions and others, notably: C-L. M. de la Bourdonnais, Adolf Anderssen, Paul Morphy, Siegbert Tarrasch, Aron Nimzowitsch, Richard Réti, Judit Polgar and the contemporary Artificial Intelligence phenomenon, AlphaZero. Be inspired by this exploration of the ‘modern’ game’s roots and trajectory!”

IM Craig William Pritchett, Courtesy of John Upham Photography

“Craig Pritchett (b 1949) is a former national champion and international master (1976), who represented Scotland in nine Chess Olympiads (1966-1990), including four times on top board (1974-1980). Gold medal winner on top board for Scotland at the European Seniors (60+) Team Championship in 2011, he continues to compete regularly at Senior and Open events. Chess Correspondent for the Scottish newspaper The Herald (1972-2006) and East Lothian Life (since 2005), he has taught and written widely on chess, specialising latterly on the historical development of chess thought and the fascinatingly wide differences in players’ chess styles. A University of Glasgow graduate in Modern History and Politics and a Chartered Public Finance Accountant, he also worked for many years in UK central government audit. President of his local Dunbar Chess Club, he has also long been associated with three major chess clubs: Edinburgh West, Barbican 4NCL and SK Berlin-Zehlendorf.”

From the author’s introduction:

This book takes the reader on a journey from early 19th century developments in the game up to the present-day.

And:

Today’s top players still borrow from the best games and ideas of past generations. Do join them!

I wrote this book primarily to explore, confirm and convey my own understanding of this grand sweep of chess history.

What we’re offered here, then is a brief history of top level chess from 1834 to the present day, looking at both the development of chess ideas and the world championship itself. As you’d expect, the text is illustrated with games, annotated in a refreshingly straightforward fashion, and there are also a few photographs of the book’s heroes. An ambitious project, following in the footsteps of many other authors from Réti onwards. Not the first book of this type I’ve reviewed here either: but I wasn’t particularly impressed with this offering from two years ago.

We start then with Bourdonnais and McDonnell from 1834. Pritchett is impressed with their ‘calculating powers and creative imaginations’, and you will be too.

Most readers will have seen the extraordinary 62nd game before. I decided to ask Stockfish 14 to have a look. The notoriously hard to please engine was also impressed, but had one issue.

[fen]4Br1k/1b2b1pp/2P4q/p3p3/2Qp4/5p2/PPR3PP/3R2K1 b – – 0 25[/fen]

Here, Bourdonnais played 25… Qe3+, when 26. Rf2 would have held, according to both Pritchett and Stockfish. Pritchett also mentions that 25… Ba6 27. Qxa6 favours White: Stockfish 14 thinks Black’s winning after 27… e4!. A remarkable position which you might want to look at yourself. Perhaps Craig was using an older engine.

The theme of tactical brilliance continues with Anderssen, and, inevitably, we see the Immortal and Evergreen Games. Of course most readers will have seen them many times before, but there will always be those new to chess history who will relish witnessing them for the first time.

We then move onto Morphy and Steinitz, which is where the story becomes more complex and therefore more interesting. Pritchett is good at outlining Steinitz’s professionalism, opening research and patience at accumulating small advantages.

Pritchett describes this game as an early ‘hypermodern’ masterpiece, created decades before the term itself even existed, of a most insightful and visionary kind. (Click on any move of any game in this review for a pop-up board. I’ve used Stockfish 14 to annotate the games: readers might like to compare them with the author’s annotations in the book.)

[pgn]
[Event “Wien International-02 25years WienerSK”]
[Site “Vienna”]
[Date “1882.05.23”]
[Round “11”]
[White “Steinitz, William”]
[Black “Weiss, Miksa”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “C00”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.1 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “69”]
[EventDate “1882.05.10”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “34”]
[EventCountry “AUT”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2002”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2001.11.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2001.11.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. e4 {ChessBase II} e6 2. e5 c5 ({Predecessor:
} 2… f6 3. d4 c5 4. Bd3 g6 5. h4 f5 6. Bg5 Be7 7. Bxe7 Qxe7 8. Na3 cxd4 9.
Nb5 Kd8 10. Qd2 {1-0 (53) Pollock,W-Blackburne,J London 1866 EXT 2017
[ChessBase II]}) 3. f4 d5 4. exd6 Bxd6 5. g3 Bd7 ({Better is} 5… Nf6 $17 {
Threatens to win with …0-0.} 6. Nf3 Nc6) 6. Nf3 {C00: French: Unusual White
2nd moves.} Bc6 7. Bg2 Nf6 8. O-O {Black is slightly better.} Nbd7 9. d3 O-O {
[%cal Oc5c4]} 10. Nbd2 Nb6 (10… b5 $15) 11. Qe2 $11 Qc7 (11… Re8 $11) 12.
b3 $14 Be7 13. Bb2 a5 {[#]} 14. a4 $1 Nbd5 15. Nc4 Nb4 16. Rae1 {[%cal Of4f5]
And now f5! would win.} Nfd5 (16… Rae8 $16 17. c3 Na6) 17. Nfe5 Bf6 18. Qf2 (
18. Rf2 $18) 18… Be8 (18… b5 $16 {was necessary.}) 19. g4 {[%cal Bg3g4,
Bg4g5][%mdl 32]} Rd8 20. g5 Be7 21. Ng4 Nc6 {[%cal Oc6d4]} 22. Qh4 Nd4 $2 (
22… f5) 23. Be4 $18 {[%csl Ge4][%cal Rh4h7] [#]} f5 24. gxf6 $1 Nxf6 25.
Nxf6+ Bxf6 26. Qxh7+ Kf7 27. Bg2 {[%cal Be4g2,Bg2h3,Bh3e6][%mdl 32]} Rg8 28.
Ne5+ Kf8 29. Rf2 b5 (29… Qd6 $142 30. Be4 Qe7) 30. axb5 Bxb5 31. Bh3 Re8 32.
Re4 Bc6 33. Rxd4 cxd4 34. Ba3+ Be7 35. Bxe6 {White took control after the
opening. Weighted Error Value: White=0.32/Black=0.80} 1-0
[/pgn]

This takes us into what, for me, is the strongest part of the book, covering the last few decades of the 19th and the first few decades of the 20th century. It’s excellent that Pritchett includes sections on Tarrasch and the Hypermoderns along with Lasker and the other world champions. Readers of Ray Keene’s masterpiece Aron Nimzowitsch: A Reappraisal will be aware that he wrote insightfully about the feud between these two players who had very different views about how chess should be played.

Almost half a century on, Keene’s contemporary Pritchett, takes a rather different approach, seeking to find a synthesis between the two. He quite rightly praises Tarrasch’s books Dreihundert Schachpartien and Die Moderne Schachpartie, although accepting that he could at times be over-dogmatic.

If you’ve never studied the games of the 1893 Tarrasch – Chigorin match do yourself a favour and have a look. One of the greatest matches in chess history, in my opinion.

Pritchett offers us the 4th game, although his annotations fail to point out Chigorin’s missed wins at moves 29 and 32.

[pgn]
[Event “Match Chigorin-Tarrasch +9-9=4”]
[Site “St Petersburg”]
[Date “1893.10.14”]
[Round “4”]
[White “Chigorin, Mikhail Ivanovich”]
[Black “Tarrasch, Siegbert”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “C00”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.1 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “124”]
[EventDate “1893.10.08”]
[EventType “match”]
[EventRounds “22”]
[EventCountry “RUS”]
[SourceTitle “HCL”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]
[SourceVersion “2”]
[SourceVersionDate “1999.07.01”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. e4 e6 2. Qe2 c5 3. g3 Nc6 4. Nf3 Be7 5.
Bg2 d5 6. d3 Nf6 7. O-O O-O 8. Nc3 a6 {C00: French: Unusual White 2nd moves.}
9. Bg5 h6 (9… d4 $5 {[%cal Rd4c3]} 10. e5 dxc3 11. exf6 Bxf6 12. Bxf6 Qxf6
$15) 10. Bf4 b5 {Black is slightly better.} (10… d4 $5 {[%cal Rd4c3]} 11. Nb1
b5 $15) 11. Rfe1 d4 12. Nd1 Nd7 13. Kh1 (13. e5 $17) 13… Re8 14. Rg1 e5 15.
Bd2 Nf8 (15… a5 $17 {[%cal Oc5c4] …c4! is the strong threat.} 16. a4 bxa4)
16. Ne1 $15 Ne6 (16… a5 $15) 17. f4 $11 Bb7 {[%cal Oc5c4]} 18. f5 (18. Bh3
$14) 18… Ng5 {[%cal Oc5c4]} 19. Nf2 Rc8 {[%cal Oc5c4]} 20. Qh5 Nh7 21. Nf3 c4
(21… Nf6 $11 {remains equal.} 22. Qh3 c4) 22. Bf1 (22. g4 $16) 22… cxd3 (
22… Nf6 $15 23. Qh3 Nb4 24. Bxb4 Bxb4) 23. cxd3 Ng5 (23… Nf6 $14 24. Qh3
Bb4) 24. Bxg5 ({White should try} 24. Be2 $16) 24… Bxg5 (24… hxg5 25. h4
Qd6 26. Nxg5 Bxg5 27. hxg5 $18) 25. Ng4 Kf8 $2 (25… Be3 $11 {and Black has
nothing to worry.}) 26. Be2 $18 Bf6 (26… Nb4 $142) 27. h4 Qd6 (27… Nb4 $16)
28. Nfh2 (28. Nxh6 $2 gxh6 29. Qxh6+ Ke7 $19) 28… Ne7 $2 {[%mdl 8192]} (28…
Ke7 $16) 29. Raf1 $2 (29. Nxf6 $18 Qxf6 30. Raf1) 29… Ng8 $1 $11 (29… Rc2
$2 30. Nxf6 Rec8 31. Nh7+ Ke8 32. Qg4 $18 (32. f6 g6 $18)) 30. Bd1 {Against Rc2
} Rc7 31. Bb3 (31. Nf3 $14) 31… Rec8 $2 {[%mdl 8192] [#]} (31… a5 $15) 32.
Nf2 $2 (32. Nxh6 $1 $18 {[%mdl 512]} gxh6 33. g4) 32… Bd8 $1 33. Qe2 a5 34.
Nf3 a4 35. Bd1 Bc6 $36 {[%mdl 2048] Black fights for an advantage.} 36. g4 f6 (
36… Be8 $1 $14) 37. Nh3 Be8 38. Qh2 Bf7 39. a3 Bb3 40. Nf2 ({White should
play} 40. g5 $1 $11) 40… Bxd1 $15 41. Nxd1 Rc2 42. Qg3 b4 (42… R8c5 $15)
43. axb4 $11 Qa6 44. Nf2 Rxb2 {And now …Rcc2 would win.} 45. g5 hxg5 46. hxg5
Rcc2 47. Ng4 {[%cal Ob4b5] Strongly threatening b5!} Qd6 $2 {[%mdl 8192]} (
47… Qxd3 $2 48. gxf6 Qxe4 49. Nf2 $18) (47… Rxb4 48. Qh3 (48. Nxf6 Nxf6 49.
Qh3 Kg8 $11) 48… Rbb2 49. gxf6 (49. Qh8 fxg5 50. f6 Bxf6 $14) 49… Bxf6 50.
Nxf6 Qxf6 51. Rg6 $18) (47… fxg5 $15 {keeps the upper hand.} 48. f6 (48.
Nfxe5 Bc7 $11) 48… Bxf6 49. Nfxe5 (49. Ngxe5 Bxe5 50. Nxe5+ Nf6 $15) 49…
Ke8) 48. gxf6 $18 Bxf6 49. Qh3 $2 ({Not} 49. Nfxe5 $2 Bxe5 50. Qh4 Rh2+ $1 {
[%mdl 512]} 51. Nxh2 Rxh2+ 52. Qxh2 Bxh2 $19) (49. Ra1 $1 $18 {[%cal Ra1a4]})
49… a3 $11 {[%cal Ba4a3,Ba3a2][%mdl 32]} (49… Rxb4 $2 50. Nxf6 Qxf6 51. Rg6
$18) 50. Nxf6 Qxf6 51. Rg6 $1 a2 $1 (51… Qe7 $2 52. f6 gxf6 53. Qh8 $18) 52.
Rxf6+ $4 {[%mdl 8192]} (52. Ng5 $1 $11 {and White is okay.} Qe7 53. Ne6+ Ke8
54. Rxg7 (54. Nxg7+ Kf7 $11) 54… Rh2+ 55. Qxh2 Rxh2+ 56. Kxh2 Qxb4 57. Rg2)
52… gxf6 $19 {Black is clearly winning.} 53. Rd1 Rb1 54. Qf1 Rcb2 55. Nd2 {
[#]} Rxd1 $1 56. Qxd1 {[#]} Rxd2 $1 {[%mdl 4608] Endgame KQ-KRN} 57. Qc1 (57.
Qxd2 a1=Q+) 57… Rxd3 {Hoping for …Rb3.} 58. Kg2 Rc3 59. Qa1 Rc2+ 60. Kf3 d3
{[%cal Bd4d3,Bd3d2][%mdl 32] Threatens to win with …d2.} 61. Qd1 Rb2 62. Qa4
d2 {What a fight! Weighted Error Value: White=0.65/Black=0.47} 0-1
[/pgn]

Moving on from Tarrasch, via Lasker, to Nimzowitsch, Pritchett is just as complimentary about My System and Chess Praxis as he is about Tarrasch’s books, telling us that together they offer a wealth of insightful exposition of the new paths that the game was beginning to take in a post-classical era.

The contrasting champions Capablanca and Alekhine then follow, as stylistically different as Tarrasch and Nimzowitsch were in terms of their ideas and both interpreting their teachings in different ways.

Euwe only merits a very short chapter, and, as you might expect, the Pearl of Zandvoort, the Dutch champion’s most famous game, is demonstrated.

Botvinnik then takes us beyond the Second World War and into the latter half of the 20th century, at which point the tone of the book seems to undergo a gradual change.

As FIDE took over the organising the World Championship (with a break between 1993 and 2006) Pritchett’s narrative becomes more a list of world championship matches than a study of the development of ideas. We meet Smyslov, Tal, Petrosian and Spassky, four players with very different styles. Then, of course, Fischer, Karpov, Kasparov, Kramnik, Anand and Carlsen.

The book ends with chapters on Judit Polgar, understandable in these days where representation is considered so important, and Alpha Zero, whose games add a totally new dimension to the development of chess ideas.

Pritchett quotes this Petrosian game, along with a 1966 interview from Sovetsky Sport, in which Petrosian, when asked what he valued most in chess, replied with the word Logic. I like only those games where I have played in accordance with the demands of the position … logical “correct” play. Botvinnik and Smyslov might both have agreed, but Tal? Probably not.

[pgn]
[Event “World-ch24 Petrosian-Botvinnik +5-2=15”]
[Site “Moscow”]
[Date “1963.04.01”]
[Round “5”]
[White “Petrosian, Tigran V”]
[Black “Botvinnik, Mikhail”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “D94”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.1 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “95”]
[EventDate “1963.03.23”]
[EventType “match”]
[EventRounds “22”]
[EventCountry “URS”]
[SourceTitle “100 Jahre Schach”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2000.04.19”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2000.04.19”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. c4 g6
2. d4 Nf6 3. Nc3 d5 4. Nf3 Bg7 5. e3 O-O 6. Be2 dxc4 7. Bxc4 c5 8. d5 {[#]} e6
$146 {D94: Grünfeld: 4 Nf3 Bg7 5 e3.} (8… Nbd7 {looks sharper.} 9. a4 Nb6
10. Ba2 e6 11. dxe6 Bxe6 12. Bxe6 fxe6 13. Qxd8 Rfxd8 14. Ng5 Rd6) ({
Predecessor:} 8… Ne8 9. O-O Nd6 10. Be2 Bf5 11. Nh4 Bd7 12. a4 c4 13. e4 Na6
14. Be3 e5 15. dxe6 Bxe6 16. g3 {0-1 (75) Wood,G-Prins,L Hastings 1947 MCL
[Ftacnik,L]}) 9. dxe6 Qxd1+ 10. Kxd1 Bxe6 {White is slightly better.} 11. Bxe6
fxe6 12. Ke2 Nc6 13. Rd1 (13. Ng5 {is interesting.} Rae8 14. Rd1 h6 15. Nge4
Nd5 16. Nb5) 13… Rad8 14. Rxd8 Rxd8 ({Of course not} 14… Nxd8 15. Bd2 $11)
15. Ng5 Re8 16. Nge4 Nxe4 17. Nxe4 b6 18. Rb1 Nb4 19. Bd2 Nd5 20. a4 Rc8 21. b3
{[%cal Bb2b3,Bb3b4][%mdl 32]} Bf8 22. Rc1 Be7 23. b4 (23. Bc3 $5) 23… c4 24.
b5 Kf7 25. Bc3 Ba3 26. Rc2 Nxc3+ 27. Rxc3 $16 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KRB-KRN} Bb4
28. Rc2 Ke7 {[#]} 29. Nd2 $1 c3 30. Ne4 Ba5 31. Kd3 {[%cal Re4c3] Prevents Rc4.
} Rd8+ 32. Kc4 Rd1 33. Nxc3 Rh1 {A mistake that costs the game.} (33… Bxc3
$16 34. Kxc3 (34. Rxc3 Rg1 $14) 34… Kf6) 34. Ne4 $18 Rxh2 $2 (34… Rd1 {
might work better.} 35. g3 h5) 35. Kd4 Kd7 36. g3 Bb4 37. Ke5 {Prevents Bd6+.}
Rh5+ {[#]} 38. Kf6 $1 Be7+ 39. Kg7 e5 40. Rc6 {White is clearly winning.} Rh1
41. Kf7 Ra1 42. Re6 Bd8 43. Rd6+ Kc8 44. Ke8 Bc7 45. Rc6 Rd1 46. Ng5 Rd8+ 47.
Kf7 Rd7+ 48. Kg8 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.04 (flawless) /Black=0.20
(precise)} 1-0
[/pgn]

A different approach might have been to consider the period from 1948 onwards through looking at openings rather than players. You could discuss, for instance, the increasing popularity and development of dynamic openings such as the Sicilian and King’s Indian Defences in the post-war years, followed by the effects brought about by computer usage from, say, 1990 onwards. You’d be looking at the world champions, but also players such as Bronstein and Larsen who also, like Tarrasch and Nimzowitsch in their day, had an impact on the development of chess.

It strikes me that the history of the world championship and the development of chess ideas are two very different, but obviously interconnected subjects. From my perspective as a student of chess history, this book rather falls between two stools. The first half is written more from the latter perspective and the second half more from the former perspective. Inevitably so, perhaps, given the difficulty of telling a long and complex story within the confines of a relatively slim book.

If you’re knowledgeable about chess history, you’ll be familiar with the stories and have seen most of the games before. But if you’re new to the subject, this book, which will appeal to players of all strengths, would be a good place to start. It’s accessible, well researched and written, with well annotated games and well produced, although with a few typos and errors which might have been picked up at proof stage. Not all the analysis stands up to the scrutiny of Stockfish 14 but for most readers that won’t matter. Recommended for those unfamiliar with the subject matter, but perhaps superfluous for those who will have seen most of it before.

Richard James, Twickenham 31st March 2022

Book Details :

Softcover: 328 pages
Publisher: Thinkers Publishing; 1st edition (15 Feb. 2022)
Language: English
ISBN-10:9464201436
ISBN-13: 978-9464201437
Product Dimensions: 17.02 x 2.29 x 23.37 cm

Official web site of Thinkers Publishing

2022, Correspondence, Deaths, Remembering, Writers

Remembering IMC Ken Messere OBE (16-iv-1928 31-iii-2005)

March 31, 2022 John Upham Leave a comment

BCN remembers Ken Messere who passed away on Thursday, March 31st 2005 aged 76 in Paris-16E-Arrondissement, Paris, France.

Kenneth Charles Messere was born on Monday, April 16th, 1928 in Richmond-on-Thames, Surrey. His father was Charles (George) Messere (1901-1974) or Eisenberg and aged 26. His mother was Gertrude Marie Newman (1899-1978) and aged 29.

Ken had three siblings: Barbara Marie Messere (1930–2005), Hugh Martin Messere (1932–1985) and Derek R Messere (1934–2012)

Ken attended St. Peter’s College, Oxford from 1946 – 1951 to read philosophy and is reported in the 1951 St. Edmund Hall Magazine, as a member of the Trillick (debating) Society as follows:

‘ That this House would rather be a live Communist than
a dead Democrat.’ The proposer established to his own satisfaction that democracy was founded on ‘selfishness, capitalism and bourgeois hypocrisy.’ He did not satisfy J. F. R. Bonguard of St. Peter’s Hall who opposed, using arguments taken from Hindu philosophy. K. C. Messere of St. Peter’s Hall, spoke third and added some able arguments.

In June 1954 Ken married Mary Elizabeth Humphrey (1929-2003) in Ealing. They had a son Miles Jonathan Messere born in 1964 who passed away in 1965.

Prior the time of his passing his wife Mary was living at 142B, Herbert Road, Woolwich, London, SE18 3PU.

In 1991 he was awarded the OBE (Civil Division) in the Queen’s Birthday honours list. The citation reads: Kenneth Charles Messere, lately Head of Fiscal Affairs Division, OECD, Paris.

Ken appears each year from 1953 to 1967 in the noted publication Britain, Royal And Imperial Calendars the function of which is to list entries for those engaged in UK public service. He worked for HM Customs and Excise. Prompted by this we consulted the venerable A History of Chess in the English Civil Service by Kevin Thurlow (Conrad Press, 2021) on page 447 and found

“He played for Customs. In 1964, he went to work for the Organisation for Economic Cooperation and Development and was head of fiscal affairs from 1971 – 1991. In 1954 he began playing postal chess and became a leading player. He won a semi-final of the 5th World Correspondence Championship (1961 – 64) and became the first English player to compete in a World Championship Final.”

There are 31 games listed at his personal entry at chessgames.com starting with games from 1965.

Chessbase’s Correspondence Database 2020 records 69 games the earliest being from 1958 listing Ken’s federation as being France.

From British Chess (Pergamon Press, 1983) we have this lengthy contribution from Ken himself:

“Between the ages of 6, when I learnt to play and 23 (ed: 1951), when I ceased to be a student, chess had a relatively low priority among various time-competing interests and activities, so I never got around to studying theory. Things changed when I became a civil servant and needed a replacement for philosophy as an intellectually absorbing subject which could be argued about with friends over beers, and for the next 12 years chess became my main interest.

Since 1964 I have been working for the OECD in Paris, where my friends are not chess enthusiasts and, although chess remains a major pleasure, my commitment to it has lessened. Nowadays, out-side correspondence chess, I play only occasional blitz games.

Coming late to serious chess has probably had at least some influence on my deficiencies and stylistic preferences. The deficiencies include an inability to visualize ahead with sufficient clarity to support accurate analysis, slow sight of the board which leads to silly errors through time trouble or failing stamina and less familiarity with theory than my better opponents. As to chess style, I have had to play romantically and subjectively to get good results.

If a game takes the form of a clear-cut position, where strategical objectives are clear and superior technique prevails, then mine generally does not. Consequently I have tended to play either sharp gambits or counter-gambits or to try to render the position sufficiently obscure for imagination and intuition to assume maximum importance. In keeping, my chess heroes have been Alekhine, Bronstein and Tal who revel in fantasy, however much Alekhine may claim that it is logically based.

When I took up competitive chess seriously in 1952, I made some progress and won a few minor tournaments, but in view of the defects already mentioned, it soon became clear that my potential for improvement was limited and that nearly all my games were aesthetically flawed. Fortunately, these defects represent no great handicap at correspondence chess, where I found myself pleased with a reasonable proportion of the game I played, and in addition, capable on the day (or more accurately over the years) of winning against almost anyone. Thus, against world champions I have two wins and one loss, (see below). I also have 80 per cent from five games against Russian grandmasters, even if a meagre 28 per cent from my eighteen games against all correspondence grandmasters. In 1954 when I began playing postal chess competitively, I did sufficiently well in a few British Postal tournaments to be accepted at a reasonably high level in the official international tournaments.

[pgn]
[Event “ICCF Championship 1958-60”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1958.??.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Messere, Kenneth Charles”]
[Black “Bergquist, Rune”]
[Result “1-0”]
[Annotator “Ken Messere and BCN”]
[SetUp “1”]
[FEN “8/1p1bk3/pK5p/2R1P1p1/2pP4/8/8/8 w – – 0 46”]
[PlyCount “11”]
[EventDate “1958.??.??”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[SourceTitle “British Chess, page 168”]

{[%evp 0,11,-29,-29,-59,-59,-11,-90,0,65,207,237,260,260] [#]} 46. d5 $1 {
KCM: Capturing either b or c-pawn loses.} ({In fact} 46. Rxc4 $16 {is also
winning but not as strong.} g4 47. d5 h5 48. e6 Bb5 49. Kc7 $1 Bxc4 50. d6+
Kxe6 51. d7 $18) (46. Kxb7 $2 g4 47. d5 g3 48. Rxc4 h5 49. Rc2 h4 $19) 46… g4
47. Rxc4 h5 48. e6 $18 Bb5 $2 {KCM: the move played enables White to sacrifice
rook and pawn to win with his last pawn.} ({KCM: Correct is} 48… Bxe6 $1 {
KCM: which should draw after} 49. Re4 $1 Kd6 $1 50. Rxe6+ $1 (50. dxe6 $2 Ke7
$1 {KCM: wins for Black. BCN: in fact this is winning for white as follows:}
51. Kc5 g3 52. Re1 b5 53. Kd4 h4 54. Ke5 g2 55. Rc1 a5 56. Rc7+ Ke8 57. Kd6 Kf8
58. e7+ Kf7 59. Rc8 Kf6 60. e8=Q {etc but this was hideously complicated to
work out and SF10 did the work for us!}) 50… Kxd5 51. Rh6 $11) 49. Kc7 $1
Bxc4 50. d6+ Kxe6 51. d7 {and Black resigned six moves later.} 1-0
[/pgn]

Not without luck (see Diagram l), I secured the 75 per cent necessary in two seven-player tournaments to qualify for the fourteen player preliminaries, the winner of which was to qualify for the following world championship. In the 1961-64 preliminaries, I played the best chess of my life, including valid opening innovations, imaginative pawn and piece sacrifices and even a technically efficient win in a queen and pawn end-game. I won the tournament with eleven wins, one draw and one loss, 1.5 points ahead of Maly of Czechoslovakia and two points ahead of Masseev, the Russian favourite, thereby obtaining my first norm towards the International Master title. My first annotated game is the win against Maly (ed: to be inserted once we have tracked down the game score!) which was typical stylistically and also crucial, since if he had won it, he would have qualified for the World Championship instead of me: the second against Bartha of the United States is the most compulsive and difficult tactical game I have ever played, the last five moves alone requiring over 100 hours of analysis.

[pgn]
[Event “W-ch05 sf03 corr”]
[Site “ICCF corr”]
[Date “1962.??.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Bartha, Ferenc”]
[Black “Messere, Kenneth Charles”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “A41”]
[Annotator “Messere”]
[PlyCount “92”]
[EventDate “1962.??.??”]
[EventType “tourn (corr)”]
[SourceTitle “Myers”]
[Source “Myers”]
[SourceDate “2012.11.12”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2012.11.12”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

{[%mdl 36928][%evp 0,92,19,27,80,59,88,37,24,24,52,32,36,55,64,5,8,10,18,-40,0,
-17,9,-3,-8,-8,1,-20,-13,-123,-40,-48,-27,-55,-48,-48,-11,-2,6,-21,58,92,92,92,
92,102,99,104,150,139,143,135,128,35,153,91,95,-17,-17,23,34,34,26,-18,-18,-18,
-18,-66,0,-6,-1,-47,-72,-72,-72,-105,-40,-40,-52,-51,-50,-50,-50,-70,-40,-28,0,
-86,0,-5,0,0,0,-63,-63] Messere: My game with Bartha, superficially a wild
tactical skirmish, required a number of unexpected moves by both players for
survival even in the beginning. The last five moves, which took me at least
100 hours of analysis going nearly twenty moves deep in several variations,
rendered it quite the most compulsive game I have ever played. That the margin
between win and draw was so fine and that in many variations K and two pawns
defeated K, R, N and pawns made it even more deeply absorbing.} 1. Nf3 {
Myers Harding Messere} d6 2. d4 g6 3. c4 Bg7 4. e4 Bg4 5. Be2 Nc6 6. Be3 e5 7.
d5 Bxf3 8. Bxf3 Nd4 {[#]} 9. Bg4 $146 (9. Bxd4 $1 exd4 10. Nd2 (10. Na3 Ne7 11.
O-O c6 12. Rb1 O-O 13. Nc2 c5 14. b4 Nc8 15. Qd3 Qc7 16. Be2 Re8 17. bxc5 dxc5
18. f4 b5 19. Rxb5 Nd6 20. e5 Nxb5 21. cxb5 Qa5 22. d6 Qxa2 23. Qc4 Qb2 24. Bf3
Rab8 25. Bc6 Red8 26. Qxc5 d3 27. Nb4 d2 28. Nd3 Qb3 29. Nf2 Qa4 30. g3 a6 31.
b6 Rdc8 32. b7 Rxc6 33. Qa7 Rxb7 34. Qxb7 Rc1 35. Qf3 Qd4 36. Kg2 Re1 37. Nd1
Bf8 38. Qf2 Qd5+ 39. Kg1 Rxf1+ 40. Kxf1 f6 41. exf6 Bxd6 42. Qe3 Kf7 43. Ke2
Bc5 44. Qc3 Qe4+ 45. Kf1 Qh1+ 46. Ke2 Qxh2+ 47. Kf3 Qh1+ {0-1 Portisch,
L-Timman,J/Antwerp 1989/}) 10… Ne7 (10… c5 11. dxc6 bxc6 12. b4 Rb8 (12…
Ne7 13. O-O O-O 14. Nb3 Qb6 15. a3 Rab8 16. c5 dxc5 17. Nxc5 Rfd8 18. Nd3 a5
19. Qc2 axb4 20. axb4 Ra8 21. g3 Ra7 22. Rxa7 Qxa7 23. e5 Qa6 24. Re1 Nd5 25.
e6 Qb5 26. exf7+ Kxf7 27. Qe2 Bf6 28. Qe6+ Kg7 29. Ne5 Rf8 30. Bxd5 cxd5 31.
Nd7 Rf7 32. Nxf6 Rxf6 33. Qe7+ Rf7 34. Qe5+ Kh6 35. Qxd4 Qc4 36. Qd2+ Kg7 37.
Rc1 Qe4 38. b5 d4 39. Qb2 Rb7 40. b6 Qe5 41. Ra1 Qc5 42. Rb1 h5 43. Qb5 Qd6 44.
Qb4 Qf6 45. Rb3 Qd8 46. Qb5 Qd6 47. h4 d3 48. Qa6 Rd7 49. Qa1+ Qd4 50. Qd1 d2
51. Rb1 Qe4 {1/2-1/2 Epishin,V-Gulko,B/Yerevan 1996/}) 13. Rb1 Ne7 14. a3 O-O
15. Nb3 c5 16. b5 f5 17. O-O Kh8 18. a4 fxe4 19. Bxe4 d5 20. Bd3 dxc4 21. Bxc4
Qd6 22. Rc1 Rbc8 23. Qd3 Rf5 24. Nd2 Nd5 25. Bxd5 Qxd5 26. Nc4 Rcf8 27. Rce1
Rg5 28. Re4 Rf4 29. Rfe1 h5 30. a5 Kh7 31. g3 Rxe4 32. Rxe4 Rf5 33. b6 axb6 34.
axb6 Rf7 35. Kg2 Re7 36. f3 Rxe4 37. fxe4 Qb7 38. Qf3 Qa6 39. Qb3 Be5 40. Qd3
Bb8 41. e5 Qa2+ 42. Kg1 Kg7 43. Qf1 Qc2 44. Nd6 d3 45. Qf6+ Kh7 46. Qe7+ Kg8
47. Qd8+ Kg7 48. Qd7+ Kh6 49. Nf7+ Kg7 50. Ng5+ Kh6 51. Nf7+ Kg7 52. Nd6+ Kh6
53. Nf7+ {1/2-1/2 Epishin,V-McNab,C/Catalan Bay 2003/}) (10… Nf6 11. O-O Nd7
12. Be2 d3 13. Bxd3 Bxb2 14. Rb1 Bg7 15. f4 O-O 16. Nf3 Qf6 17. Qd2 Bh6 18. g3
Nc5 19. Rbe1 Rae8 20. Bb1 Qd8 21. h4 Qd7 22. Kg2 Qa4 23. Qc2 Re7 24. Rf2 Rfe8
25. Rfe2 Bg7 26. e5 a6 27. h5 Qxc2 28. Bxc2 dxe5 29. hxg6 hxg6 30. fxe5 f5 31.
e6 Bf6 32. g4 fxg4 33. Ne5 Bh4 34. Rh1 Nxe6 35. dxe6 Rxe6 36. Rxh4 Rxe5 37. Rf2
Rg5 38. Rd2 Re7 39. Bd1 Kg7 40. Rxg4 Rxg4+ 41. Bxg4 Re4 42. Bc8 b6 43. Bxa6 Kf7
44. Rd7+ Re7 45. Rxe7+ Kxe7 46. c5 bxc5 47. a4 Kd6 48. a5 {1-0 Epishin,
V-Djuric,S/Cutro 1999/}) 11. Be2 O-O 12. O-O c5 (12… c6 13. Nf3 Qb6 14. Qd2
f5 15. Bd3 fxe4 16. Bxe4 cxd5 17. cxd5 Rac8 18. Qe2 Bf6 19. Ne1 Bg7 20. Nd3
Rce8 21. Rfe1 Qb5 22. g3 Nxd5 23. Nf4 Nc7 24. Qxb5 Nxb5 25. Ne6 Rxe6 26. Bd5
Kh8 27. Rxe6 d3 28. Rd1 Bd4 29. Rxd3 Bxf2+ 30. Kg2 Nd4 31. Re4 Nc2 32. Rf3 Ne1+
33. Rxe1 Rxf3 34. Re8+ {1-0 Epishin,V-Gulko,B/Philadelphia 1998/}) 13. f4 (13.
g3 Nc8 14. h4 Nb6 15. h5 Nd7 16. hxg6 hxg6 17. Kg2 Re8 18. Rh1 Rb8 19. f4 a6
20. a4 d3 21. Bxd3 Bxb2 22. Ra2 Bf6 23. e5 dxe5 24. f5 g5 25. Ne4 Bg7 26. f6
Nxf6 27. Rf2 b5 28. Nxf6+ Bxf6 29. Rh7 e4 30. Qh5 Rb7 31. Be2 bxc4 32. d6 Qxd6
33. Bxc4 Re6 34. Rxf6 Rb2+ 35. Kh3 g4+ 36. Qxg4+ {1-0 Epishin,V-De la Villa
Garcia,J/Lausanne 2001/}) 13… a6 14. Bd3 Rb8 15. h4 b5 16. h5 Nc8 17. hxg6
fxg6 18. Qg4 Kh8 19. b3 Nb6 20. Nf3 Qd7 21. Qxd7 Nxd7 22. g3 bxc4 23. bxc4 Rb2
24. Rf2 Rxf2 25. Kxf2 Rb8 26. Re1 Rb2+ 27. Re2 Rxe2+ 28. Kxe2 Bf6 29. Bc2 Kg7
30. Kd3 g5 31. Ba4 Nb6 32. Be8 Kf8 33. Bh5 gxf4 34. gxf4 Na4 35. e5 Be7 36. Nd2
Nc3 37. Ne4 dxe5 38. d6 Bxd6 39. Nxd6 exf4 40. Ne4 Na4 41. Kc2 {1-0 Epishin,
V-Hennig,D/Hamburg 1997/}) (9. Nc3 Ne7 10. h4 (10. g4 c5 11. h4 a6 12. Be2 Rb8
13. h5 h6 14. hxg6 fxg6 15. g5 hxg5 16. Rxh8+ Bxh8 17. Bxg5 b5 18. b3 bxc4 19.
Bxc4 Qd7 20. Bxa6 Qh3 21. Be3 Nf3+ 22. Ke2 Nd4+ 23. Kd3 Bf6 24. Qh1 Qd7 25. Bc4
Kd8 26. Qg2 Qa7 27. Rh1 Qa3 28. Bc1 Qa5 29. Rh7 Rb7 30. Rf7 Nxd5 31. Bxd5 {
1-0 Ftacnik,L-Lipka,J/Czechia 2001/}) 10… h5 (10… c5 11. h5 a6 12. Be2 f5
13. hxg6 hxg6 14. Rxh8+ Bxh8 15. Bd3 Kd7 16. b4 f4 17. Bxd4 exd4 18. Na4 cxb4
19. c5 Ke8 20. Qg4 dxc5 21. Nxc5 Qc8 22. Qh4 Qxc5 23. Qxh8+ Kf7 24. Qh7+ Kf6
25. Kf1 Re8 26. e5+ Kxe5 27. Qf7 Qc8 28. Re1+ {1-0 Krasenkow,M-Zlotnikov,M/
Voskresensk 1992/}) 11. Be2 c5 12. Bd3 Qd7 13. a3 O-O 14. b4 b6 15. Rb1 f5 16.
bxc5 bxc5 17. Bg5 f4 18. Qa4 Rfd8 19. Qxd7 Rxd7 20. Kd2 Kf7 21. Nb5 Nxb5 22.
Rxb5 Bf6 23. Rhb1 Bxg5 24. hxg5 Ke8 25. Bc2 Kd8 26. Ba4 Rc7 27. Ra5 a6 28. Rb6
Nc8 29. Rbxa6 Rxa6 30. Rxa6 h4 31. Bd1 Rb7 32. Kc2 f3 33. Bxf3 Rf7 34. Bg4
Rxf2+ 35. Kb3 Rxg2 36. Be6 h3 37. Ra8 Rxg5 38. Rxc8+ Ke7 39. Rh8 Rg3+ 40. Ka4
Rc3 41. Kb5 {1-0 Krasenkow,M-Kakageldyev,A/Oviedo 1993/}) ({Relevant:} 9. Nc3
Ne7 10. h4 c5 11. Bg4 f5 12. exf5 gxf5 13. Bh5+ Ng6 14. g4 Qd7 15. gxf5 Qxf5
16. Bg4 Qc2 17. Rb1 h5 18. Bxh5 Qxd1+ 19. Bxd1 Nxh4 20. Ba4+ Ke7 {1/2-1/2 (20)
Salm,M-O’Kelly de Galway,A ICCF corr 1959}) 9… c5 $2 (9… Nf6 $142 $1 {
Messere} 10. Bxd4 exd4 11. Nd2 O-O 12. O-O c5 13. Rb1 Qa5 (13… Re8 14. Bf3
Bh6 15. b4 b6 16. b5 Bxd2 17. Qxd2 Nxe4 18. Bxe4 Rxe4 19. Rfe1 Rxe1+ 20. Rxe1
Qd7 21. a4 a6 22. Qg5 axb5 23. axb5 Kg7 24. h3 h6 25. Qc1 Qf5 26. Rd1 Ra2 27.
Rd2 Qf4 28. Rc2 Qxc1+ 29. Rxc1 d3 30. Kf1 Rc2 31. Rd1 Rxc4 32. Rxd3 Rb4 33. Ke2
Rxb5 34. Re3 c4 35. Rc3 Rb2+ 36. Ke1 b5 37. h4 Kf6 38. g4 Ke5 39. Rf3 f5 40. h5
gxh5 41. Rxf5+ Ke4 42. Rxh5 c3 43. Rxh6 Rb1+ 44. Ke2 c2 45. f3+ Kd4 {0-1
Fernandes,E-Silveira,N/Vitoria BRA 2006/}) 14. Bh3 Qxa2 15. f4 Rae8 16. Re1 Qa5
17. e5 Nh5 18. e6 fxe6 19. Bxe6+ Kh8 20. g3 Qc7 21. Ne4 Bh6 22. Qd3 Ng7 23. Nf2
Nf5 24. Ng4 Bg7 25. h4 b5 26. b3 Qa5 27. Rec1 Rb8 28. Ra1 Qb6 29. Rab1 bxc4 30.
bxc4 Qc7 31. Nf2 Ne3 32. Ne4 Rxb1 33. Rxb1 Rb8 34. Ng5 Bf6 35. Ne4 Bd8 36. Re1
Rb2 37. Nxd6 Rg2+ 38. Kh1 Rxg3 39. Nf7+ Kg7 40. Qe4 Qe7 41. Qe5+ Qf6 42. Nxd8
Qxe5 43. fxe5 d3 44. d6 d2 45. Rb1 Rg2 46. Bg4 Rxg4 47. Ne6+ Kf7 48. d7 Rxh4+
49. Kg1 Rg4+ 50. Kh1 Rd4 51. Nxd4 Ke7 52. Nc2 d1=Q+ 53. Rxd1 Nxd1 54. e6 Nf2+
55. Kg2 Ne4 56. Ne3 Ng5 57. Nd5+ Kd8 58. Nf4 a5 59. Kg3 a4 60. Kg4 h6 61. Nxg6
Nxe6 62. Ne5 a3 63. Kf5 Nf8 {0-1 Beutelhoff,J-Bednarski,J/Dortmund 1975/}) (
9… Ne7 10. Nc3 (10. f4 O-O 11. fxe5 dxe5 12. O-O c5 13. dxc6 bxc6 14. Nc3 Qb6
15. Na4 Qb4 16. b3 Rad8 17. Qc1 f5 18. Bd1 fxe4 19. Nc3 Rxf1+ 20. Kxf1 Rf8+ 21.
Ke1 Nef5 22. a3 Qb6 23. Bf2 e3 24. Bg1 Nh4 25. Qb2 e4 26. b4 Ndf3+ 27. gxf3
exf3 28. c5 f2+ 29. Bxf2 exf2+ 30. Qxf2 Bxc3+ {0-1 Chekhova Kostina,T-Frog,I/
Moscow 1991/}) (10. h4 h5 11. Bh3 O-O 12. Nc3 c5 13. Rc1 f5 14. exf5 Nexf5 15.
Bg5 Bf6 16. Ne4 Be7 17. Rc3 a6 18. Bxf5 Nxf5 19. g4 Nxh4 20. Bh6 Rf7 21. gxh5
g5 22. Rg1 Kh7 23. Nxg5+ Bxg5 24. Bxg5 Qg8 25. Rcg3 Nf5 26. Qc2 e4 27. Rg4 Rg7
28. Qe2 Re8 29. Bf6 Rxg4 30. Rxg4 Qf7 31. Rg6 Nd4 32. Qg4 Rg8 33. Rxg8 Qxg8 34.
Qxe4+ Kh6 35. Bxd4 cxd4 36. Qe6+ Kh7 37. Qxg8+ Kxg8 38. c5 {1-0 Luna,J-Duin,L/
Buenos Aires 1965/}) (10. O-O c5 11. Bxd4 cxd4 12. Qa4+ Kf8 13. f4 exf4 14.
Rxf4 Be5 15. Rf1 Kg7 16. Qb3 b6 17. Nd2 Rf8 18. Qd3 a6 19. Nf3 b5 20. c5 f6 21.
Nxd4 Bxd4+ 22. Qxd4 g5 23. Bf5 Ng6 24. Bxg6 hxg6 25. b4 Qe7 26. Rac1 Rh8 27. h3
g4 28. cxd6 Qxd6 29. Rc6 Qe5 30. Qxe5 fxe5 31. Rff6 gxh3 32. Rxg6+ Kf7 33. Rxa6
hxg2 34. Raf6+ Ke7 35. Re6+ Kf7 36. Rxg2 Rac8 37. Rf2+ Kg7 38. Rxe5 Rh4 39. d6
Rc1+ 40. Kg2 Rd1 41. Rg5+ Kh6 42. Rd5 Rxd5 43. exd5 Rd4 44. Rf8 Rxd5 45. Rd8
Kg5 46. d7 {1-0 Glawischnig,A-Wilczek,R/Feffernitz 1999/}) 10… O-O 11. Nb5 c5
12. dxc6 Nexc6 13. O-O a6 14. Nxd4 exd4 15. Bf4 Re8 16. Re1 Ne5 17. Be2 Qb6 18.
Qb3 Qc6 19. Bf1 Nd7 20. f3 Nc5 21. Qa3 a5 22. Rad1 Ra6 23. Bg3 Qb6 24. b3 Qb4
25. Qxb4 axb4 26. Bd3 Rxa2 27. Bxd6 b6 28. Re2 Rea8 29. Rxa2 Rxa2 30. Bc7 Bh6
31. h4 Nd7 32. Bf1 Rb2 33. Bd6 Rxb3 34. f4 Nc5 35. Rxd4 Ne6 36. Rd3 Rxd3 37.
Bxd3 b3 38. g3 Bg7 39. e5 Bf8 40. Kf2 Bxd6 41. exd6 Kf8 42. Ke3 Ke8 43. f5 Nc5
44. fxg6 fxg6 45. h5 Nxd3 46. hxg6 hxg6 47. Kxd3 Kd7 48. Kc3 Kxd6 49. Kxb3 Ke5
50. Kb4 Kd4 51. g4 g5 52. Kb5 Kd3 53. Kb4 {1/2-1/2 Krijgelmans,J-Marechal,A/
Belgium 2002/}) (9… h5 10. Bxd4 hxg4 11. Bc3 Qh4 12. Qa4+ Kf8 13. Nd2 Bh6 14.
Nf1 Nf6 15. Ng3 Bf4 16. Qb4 b6 17. Bd2 Kg7 18. O-O-O Nh5 19. Qc3 Qf6 20. Rdf1
Rh7 21. Ne2 Rah8 22. f3 Qg5 23. fxg4 Bxd2+ 24. Qxd2 Qxg4 25. Qe3 Nf6 26. Nc3
Rxh2 27. Rxh2 Rxh2 28. Qf3 Qg5+ 29. Kd1 Rxg2 30. Rf2 Rxf2 31. Qxf2 Qg4+ 32. Qe2
a6 {0-1 Facino,H-Dolezal,C/San Fernando 1992/}) 10. Qa4+ $146 (10. Nc3 $5 h5 (
10… Nh6 11. h3 f5 12. exf5 Nhxf5 13. O-O O-O 14. Bd2 a6 15. Be2 b5 16. cxb5
Nxe2+ 17. Qxe2 Nd4 18. Qc4 axb5 19. Nxb5 Nxb5 20. Qxb5 Rb8 21. Qc4 Rxb2 22. Bc3
Rf4 23. Qd3 Rb7 24. a4 Qa8 25. a5 c4 26. Qd2 Bh6 27. Qe2 Qa6 28. Rfb1 Rbf7 29.
Bd2 Rh4 30. Rb6 Qc8 31. Bxh6 Rxh6 32. a6 c3 33. a7 Rxa7 34. Rxa7 c2 35. Qxc2
Qxc2 36. Rb8+ {1-0 Janjgava,L-Fang,J/Philadelphia 1990/}) 11. Qa4+ Kf8 12. Bh3
g5 13. g3 a6 14. Qd1 b5 15. Bf1 b4 16. Nb1 Nh6 17. Nd2 Bf6 18. Bd3 Ng8 19. a3
a5 20. Qa4 Rb8 21. axb4 axb4 22. Qa5 Qe7 23. Qa7 Rb7 24. Qa8+ Kg7 25. Qc8 Rc7
26. Qh3 g4 27. Qg2 Bg5 28. h3 Nh6 29. h4 Bf6 30. Rf1 Ra7 31. Rb1 Ra2 32. Kd1
Qd7 33. Bxd4 exd4 34. Kc1 b3 35. Kd1 Rha8 36. Ke2 Qa4 37. Rfd1 Re8 38. Kf1 Qb4
39. Kg1 Bd8 40. Qf1 Ba5 41. Kh1 Qb7 42. f4 f5 43. Qg2 Bxd2 44. Rxd2 fxe4 45.
Bxe4 Qe7 46. Bd3 Qe3 47. Rbd1 Kf6 48. Re2 Qxe2 49. Bxe2 Rxb2 50. f5 Rexe2 51.
Qf1 Rf2 52. Qe1 Rbe2 53. Qa5 Nxf5 54. Qd8+ Kf7 {0-1 Knyshenko-Katalymov,B/
Sochi 1952/}) 10… Kf8 11. Nd2 (11. Nc3 a6 12. Bxd4 $2 (12. O-O $142 $1 Nf6
13. Qd1 b5 14. cxb5 axb5 15. f3 $16 {Myers}) 12… exd4 13. Ne2 Nf6 14. Bf3 Nd7
15. O-O Ne5 16. Ng3 h5 17. Bd1 h4 18. Ne2 b5 19. cxb5 axb5 20. Qxb5 Rb8 21. Qa6
Rxb2 22. f4 Ng4 23. Qd3 Ne3 24. Rf3 c4 25. Qa3 Nxd1 26. Rxd1 Rxe2 27. e5 d3 28.
Qb4 Rc2 29. a4 Kg8 30. e6 fxe6 31. dxe6 h3 32. Qb7 Bd4+ 33. Rf2 Bxf2+ {0-1
Jackson,D-Harper,B/London 1972/}) 11… h5 (11… Bh6 12. O-O Kg7 13. Bd1 f5
14. Qa3 $16 {[%cal Gb2b4,Ge4f5] Myers}) 12. Bd1 $1 a6 13. Bxd4 (13. b4 $5 b5
14. Qa3 cxb4 15. Qxb4 a5 16. Qc3 b4 17. Qd3 Qh4 18. Nf3 Nxf3+ 19. Bxf3 Bh6 20.
c5 Bxe3 21. Qxe3 dxc5 22. Rc1 $16 {Myers}) (13. O-O $5 a5 14. f4 Nh6 15. h3 Kg8
16. Nb3 Kh7 17. fxe5 Bxe5 18. Nxd4 Bxd4 19. Bxd4 cxd4 20. Bc2 $16 {Myers})
13… exd4 (13… cxd4 $5) 14. b4 $6 (14. O-O $142 $5 h4 15. Rb1 h3 16. g3 Qe8
17. Qa3 Nf6 18. Re1 $16 {Myers}) 14… Bh6 (14… d3 $5) 15. Nf3 b5 $6 (15…
b6 16. bxc5 bxc5 17. O-O $14) (15… Qe7 $2 16. O-O $1 Qxe4 $2 17. Re1 $16) (
15… Qe8 $142 $1 $14 {Harding}) (15… Nf6 $142 $5 $14 {Myers}) 16. Qb3 (16.
cxb5 $5) 16… Nf6 17. Bc2 Kg7 $6 (17… Qb6 $142 $1 $14 {Myers}) 18. O-O Re8 (
18… Qb6 $5) 19. Rae1 $6 (19. bxc5 $142 $1 dxc5 20. Rfe1 Rb8 21. e5 $1 $16 {
Myers}) 19… a5 $2 (19… Qb6 $5) 20. bxc5 bxc4 21. Qxc4 dxc5 22. d6 $1 (22.
e5 $6 Nxd5 23. Be4 $8 (23. Bb3 $2 a4 $17) 23… Nb6 $5 (23… Nf4 $6 24. Bxa8
Qxa8 25. Qxc5 d3 26. Rd1 $16) 24. Qxc5 Rc8 25. Qb5 Nc4 26. Bb7 Rc7 27. Bd5 $14
{Harding}) (22. Qxc5 $2 Rc8 23. Qxd4 Rxc2 24. d6 Re6 25. e5 Nd7 26. Qa7 $132 {
[%cal Yf3d4] Myers}) 22… Nd7 23. e5 $1 Bf4 24. Qd5 $1 Rc8 25. g3 (25. Bb3 $5
Rf8 26. Qe4 Bh6 27. Bc2 $18 {Harding}) 25… Bh6 26. Nh4 $2 (26. e6 $3 {Harding
} fxe6 27. Rxe6 Rxe6 28. Qxe6 Qe8 (28… Nf8 29. Qd5 $1 Qd7 30. Ne5 $18 {
Harding}) 29. Qh3 $1 {[%cal Yf1e1]} Qf7 (29… Nf8 30. Re1 Qc6 31. Ne5 $18 {
Harding}) 30. Nh4 $1 Rd8 31. Bxg6 Qf6 32. Re1 Nf8 33. Bd3 $18 {Myers}) (26. Rb1
{[%cal Yb1b7]} Rb8 27. Rxb8 Qxb8 28. Bb3 Rf8 29. Qe4 $5 Qc8 30. Re1 $18 {Myers}
) 26… Nb6 27. Qe4 Nc4 {[%cal Yc4d6,Yc4e5]} 28. Qb7 $2 (28. Nxg6 $142 $5 {
Messere} Nxd6 $8 (28… Nd2 $2 29. Qf5 Qg5 30. Ne7 Qxf5 31. Nxf5+ $18 {[%cal
Ge5e6]}) 29. Qd3 {[%csl Rh7][%cal Yg6e7]} c4 $8 30. Qxd4 $8 Nf5 31. Qxd8 $8
Rcxd8 $8 (31… Rexd8 $2 32. Bxf5 $18) 32. Bxf5 fxg6 33. Bb1 $14 {Harding}) (
28. Nf5+ $142 $1 {Harding} gxf5 29. Qxf5 $1 Rh8 $8 (29… Kf8 $2 30. d7 $18)
30. Bb3 $5 (30. d7 Rb8 31. e6 Qf6 32. Qxc5 Nb6 33. f4 $1 fxe6 34. Bb3 Nxd7 35.
Qd6 Rbe8 36. Qxd7+ $16 {Harding}) 30… Qg5 31. Qxg5+ Bxg5 32. Bxc4 Bd2 33. Re2
Bc3 34. f4 Rcd8 35. f5 Rhf8 36. Re4 $18 {Myers}) 28… Rxe5 (28… Rb8 29. Qd5
Nd2 30. e6 $1 $16 Rxe6 (30… Nxf1 $2 31. Nf5+ $1 $18) (30… fxe6 31. Qxc5
Nxf1 $2 32. Qa7+ $18) 31. Rxe6 fxe6 32. Qe5+ Qf6 33. Qxc5 Kg8 34. Qc7 Rf8 (
34… Qd8 35. Bxg6 $18) 35. Nxg6 Nxf1 36. Nxf8 Be3 37. fxe3 Nd2 38. Bh7+ Kxf8
39. Qc8+ Kg7 40. Qg8+ Kh6 41. Qg6+ Qxg6 42. Bxg6 dxe3 43. d7 e2 44. Kf2 Nf3 45.
Kxe2 Nd4+ 46. Ke3 Nc6 47. Be4 Nd8 48. Kd4 $18 {Harding}) 29. Rxe5 Nxe5 30. Bxg6
$5 (30. f4 Qd7 {Tait} (30… Nc4 $5 31. Bxg6 Nxd6 32. Nf5+ Kxg6 33. Nxd6 Qxd6
34. Qxc8 d3 35. Qh8 d2 36. Rd1 $11) (30… Nd7 31. Bxg6 fxg6 32. Re1 Rb8 33.
Re7+ Qxe7 34. dxe7 Rxb7 35. e8=Q Nf8 36. Qe5+ $18 {Myers}) 31. Qe4 Nc6 (31…
Qxd6 $1 32. fxe5 Qc6 33. Qg2 Qxg2+ 34. Kxg2 c4 $15 {Myers}) 32. Nxg6 Qxd6 33.
Ne5 (33. Nh4 Kf8 $1 34. Qh7 Qf6 35. Bd3 Ne7 36. Rc1 $11 {Myers}) (33. Qf5 Qe6
34. Nh4 Kf8 35. Qxh5 Ne7 36. Nf5 $11 {Myers}) 33… d3 34. Bxd3 Qd4+ 35. Qxd4
Nxd4 36. Rb1 Nc6 37. Nxc6 Rxc6 38. Bc4 Kg6 39. Rb7 f5 40. Ra7 $16) (30. Qd5 $2
Nd7 $1 31. Bb3 Qf6 32. Rd1 Rd8 $17 {Myers}) (30. Re1 $5 d3 31. Ba4 d2 32. Rxe5
Qxd6 33. Rd5 {Harding} Qe6 34. Rd7 Rb8 35. Rxf7+ Qxf7 36. Qxb8 Bg5 37. Qb2+ $16
{Myers}) 30… Qd7 $8 (30… Nd7 $2 31. Bxh5 Rb8 32. Nf5+ Kh7 33. Qd5 $18 {
Myers}) (30… Rb8 $6 31. Qd5 fxg6 (31… Nxg6 $2 32. Nf5+ $18) 32. Qxe5+ Kh7 (
32… Qf6 33. Qxc5 $18) 33. Qxc5 $1 Bf8 34. Qa7+ Bg7 35. d7 $1 $18) (30… Nxg6
$2 31. Nf5+ Kf8 32. Nxh6 Ne5 33. Re1 $18) 31. Nf5+ $2 (31. Qxd7 $142 $1 Nxd7
32. Bxh5 Bg5 33. Nf5+ Kf6 34. Ne7 $1 Rh8 35. Bg4 Ne5 36. Nd5+ Kg6 37. Bd1 $16 {
Myers}) 31… Kf6 32. Qxd7 Nxd7 33. Ne7 Rb8 $2 (33… fxg6 $6 34. Nxc8 c4 35.
f4 c3 36. Kf2 Bg7 37. Ke2 Ke6 38. Re1 Kd5 39. h3 $14 {Myers}) (33… Rh8 $142
$1 34. Bxh5 $1 c4 $5 (34… Bf8 35. Nd5+ Ke6 $15 {Harding}) 35. Bg4 Ne5 $1 36.
Nd5+ Kg6 37. Bc8 Bd2 38. f4 Nd3 39. d7 c3 $17 {Myers}) 34. Bf5 $2 (34. Bxh5
$142 $1 Bd2 35. Bg4 $1 Nf8 36. Rd1 Rb2 37. Nc6 Rxa2 38. d7 $1 Nxd7 39. Bxd7 d3
40. Be8 $16 {Myers}) 34… Rb7 $1 (34… Ne5 35. f4 $5 (35. Bc8 Bf8 36. Nd5+
Kg7 37. d7 Nc6 38. Rc1 $14) 35… Nc4 36. Nc6 Nxd6 37. Nxb8 Kxf5 38. Nc6 d3 39.
Kf2 c4 40. Nxa5 $14) 35. Be4 $2 (35. f4 $5 Bf8 $1 (35… c4 36. Rd1 d3 37. Bxd7
Rxd7 38. Nd5+ Ke6 39. Ne3 Rxd6 40. Nxc4 $14 {Harding}) 36. Re1 $1 (36. Rc1 $2
Bxe7 37. dxe7 Kxe7 38. Bxd7 Rxd7 39. Rxc5 d3 40. Rc1 Kf6 $17 {Harding}) 36…
c4 37. Bxd7 Rxd7 38. Nd5+ Kg6 39. Nb6 Rxd6 40. Nxc4 Rd5 41. Rd1 $11 {Myers}) (
35. Re1 $5 c4 36. Bxd7 Rxd7 37. Nd5+ Kg7 38. Nb6 Rxd6 39. Nxc4 Rd5 40. Rd1 $11
{Myers}) 35… Rb2 36. Ng8+ Ke5 $1 (36… Kg7 $2 37. Nxh6 Kxh6 38. Bf5 $1 Nf6
39. d7 Nxd7 40. Bxd7 Rxa2 41. Rd1 $16 {Myers}) 37. Bc6 Kxd6 $2 (37… Nb8 $142
$1 {Myers} 38. Be8 (38. f4+ Kxd6 39. Be8 Bg7 40. Bxf7 Nd7 $17) 38… Bd2 39.
Bxf7 (39. d7 Nxd7 40. Bxd7 c4 41. Be8 Ke6 42. Ba4 c3 $19 {Myers}) 39… Kxd6
40. f4 Nd7 41. Nh6 Ke7 42. Bxh5 c4 $1 (42… Rxa2 43. Nf5+ Kf6 44. Nd6 Be3+ 45.
Kh1 a4 46. g4 a3 $17 {Harding}) 43. Nf5+ Kf8 44. Nxd4 Be3+ 45. Kh1 Bxd4 46. Rd1
c3 47. Rxd4 c2 48. Rc4 Rxa2 49. Rc8+ Ke7 50. Re8+ Kf6 51. Rc8 Ra1+ 52. Kg2 c1=Q
53. Rxc1 Rxc1 $19 {Myers}) 38. Bxd7 Bd2 (38… Kxd7 39. Nxh6 Ke6 $1 40. Re1+
Kd5 41. Re8 c4 42. Nf5 c3 $1 (42… Rxa2 43. Rd8+ Ke4 44. Nxd4 c3 45. Nb3 a4
46. Nc5+ Ke5 47. Nd3+ Ke4 48. Nc5+ $11 {Harding}) 43. Rd8+ Ke4 44. Nxd4 Rd2 45.
f3+ Ke5 46. Nc6+ Kf6 47. Rc8 c2 48. Nxa5 Rd1+ 49. Kg2 $1 c1=Q 50. Rxc1 Rxc1 51.
Nb3 Rc2+ 52. Kh3 Rxa2 53. f4 {Harding} Kf5 54. Nd4+ Ke4 55. Nb5 Rd2 56. Nc7 Rd7
57. Na6 Kd5 $1 58. Kh4 Rb7 59. Kxh5 Kd6 60. Kg5 Rb6 $19 {Myers}) 39. Bf5 $6 (
39. Be8 $2 c4 40. Bxf7 c3 41. Bg6 c2 42. Bxc2 Rxc2 43. Nf6 Rxa2 (43… Ke5 44.
Nxh5 d3 {Messere} 45. a4 Ra2 46. Rd1 Kd4 47. Nf6 Bc3 48. Kf1 Rxa4 $17 {Myers})
44. Ne4+ Kd5 45. Nxd2 Rxd2 46. Ra1 d3 47. Rxa5+ Kd4 48. Ra1 Kc3 $17 {Myers}) (
39. Ba4 $5 c4 40. Nf6 Rxa2 (40… Ke5 41. Nd7+ Kd6 42. Nf6 Rxa2 43. Bb5 c3 $15)
41. Bb5 Kc5 (41… c3 $5 42. Bc4 Rb2 43. Ne4+ Ke7 44. Bd3 f5 45. Nxd2 Rxd2 46.
Bxf5 Kf6 (46… c2 47. Bxc2 Rxc2 48. Rd1 Rc4 $15) 47. Be4 d3 (47… Ke5 {
Harding} 48. Re1 Kf6 49. f4 a4 50. Ra1 $14) 48. Rc1 c2 49. Bf3 Ke5 50. Bxh5 Kd4
$19 {Myers}) 42. Be8 d3 43. Bxf7 Rb2 (43… Kd4 $5) 44. Ne4+ Kd4 45. Nxd2 Rxd2
46. Ra1 $8 Rb2 $3 (46… c3 $5 47. Ra4+ Ke5 48. Rxa5+ Kf6 49. Bxh5 c2 50. Ra1
Re2 51. Bxe2 d2 $1 52. Rd1 $1 c1=Q 53. h4 $14) 47. Rxa5 (47. Ra4 $5 d2 (47…
Rb4 $5 48. Rxa5 c3 49. Rd5+ Ke4 $11) 48. Bxh5 Rb5 49. Bg4 (49. Be2 Rb4 50. Ra1
c3 51. Bd1 Kd3 52. Kg2 a4 $11) 49… Rb4 50. Ra1 c3 51. Bf5 Ke5 52. Bd3 Rb2 53.
Kf1 $16) 47… c3 48. Rd5+ $8 Ke4 49. f3+ $8 Ke3 50. Bg6 Rb1+ 51. Kg2 Rd1 52.
Re5+ $8 (52. Bxd3 Rd2+ 53. Kh3 Rxd3 $17) 52… Kd4 53. Re4+ Kc5 54. Re8 d2 $1
55. f4 Rc1 56. Bxh5 c2 57. Rd8 d1=Q 58. Bxd1 cxd1=Q 59. Rxd1 Rxd1 $19) 39… c4
40. Rb1 (40. a4 d3 41. Kg2 Ke5 42. Bh7 Ke6 43. Kf3 f5 44. Nh6 $8 Bxh6 45. Bg8+
Ke5 46. Bxc4 Kd4 $17 {Myers}) 40… Rxa2 41. Rb8 $6 (41. Rb7 $142 $5 $17 {Myers
}) 41… a4 $5 (41… d3 $1 42. Rd8+ (42. Nf6 $2 Ke5 43. Bxd3 cxd3 44. Nxh5
Ra1+ 45. Kg2 Bc3 $19 {Harding}) 42… Ke5 43. Bxd3 cxd3 44. Rxd3 a4 45. Kg2 Ke6
(45… Bb4 46. Nh6 a3 47. Nxf7+ Kf6 48. Rf3+ Kg7 49. Ne5 Re2 $19 {Harding}) 46.
Rd8 a3 47. Re8+ Kd5 48. Nf6+ Kc4 49. Rc8+ Kb3 50. Rb8+ Ka4 51. Nd7 Rc2 52. Nb6+
Ka5 53. Ra8+ Kxb6 54. Rxa3 f6 $19 {Myers}) 42. Rc8 c3 43. Be4 Bg5 (43… a3 $5
44. Rc6+ Ke5 (44… Kd7 $2 45. Nf6+ Ke7 46. Nd5+ Kf8 47. Ra6 c2 48. Bxc2 Rxc2
49. Rxa3 Kg7 $15 {Harding}) 45. Bh7 Rb2 46. f4+ Bxf4 47. gxf4+ Kxf4 48. Ne7 a2
49. Rf6+ Ke5 50. Rf1 c2 51. Nc6+ Kd5 52. Bxc2 Kxc6 53. Be4+ Kd6 $17 {Myers})
44. h4 (44. f4 $5 Re2 45. Bf3 Rb2 $2 (45… a3 $142 $1 46. fxg5 (46. Bxe2 a2
47. Ra8 c2 $17) 46… a2 $1 47. Rc6+ Kd7 48. Nf6+ Ke7 49. Nd5+ Kf8 50. Bxe2
a1=Q+ $17 {Harding}) 46. Rc6+ $5 (46. fxg5 c2 47. Rc6+ Kd7 48. Nf6+ Kd8 49.
Bxh5 (49. Bd5 Ke7 50. Ng8+ Ke8 51. Nf6+ Ke7 52. Ng8+ $11 {Myers}) (49. Rd6+ Ke7
50. Rd7+ Ke6 51. Bd5+ Ke5 52. Re7+ Kd6 53. Rd7+ $11 {Myers}) 49… d3 50. Ne4
Ke7 51. Rc7+ Kd8 52. Rc5 Ke7 53. Rc7+ $11 {Harding}) 46… Kd7 47. fxg5 a3 48.
Nf6+ Kd8 (48… Ke7 $142 49. Nd5+ $11 {Harding}) 49. Rd6+ Kc7 50. Rc6+ (50.
Rxd4 $4 a2 $19 {Harding}) 50… Kd8 51. Bd5 c2 52. Bxf7 d3 53. Ne4 a2 54. Bxa2
Rxa2 55. g6 $16 {Myers}) (44. Rc6+ Ke5 $1 45. Bh7 (45. f3 $2 Re2 46. Rc5+ Kd6
47. Rxg5 Rxe4 48. fxe4 c2 49. Rd5+ Ke6 50. Rc5 d3 $19 {Messere}) 45… f5 46.
f4+ Bxf4 47. gxf4+ Kxf4 48. Ne7 Kf3 {[%cal Ra2a1]} 49. h3 c2 50. Nxf5 Ra1+ 51.
Kh2 c1=Q 52. Rxc1 Rxc1 53. Nxd4+ Ke3 $17 {Harding}) 44… Re2 $1 45. Bd3 (45.
Bf3 Re1+ 46. Kg2 a3 $1 (46… Be7 47. Bxh5 a3 48. Bxf7 Kd7 $1 49. Nxe7 Rxe7 $17
) 47. Rc6+ Kd7 48. hxg5 a2 49. Nf6+ Ke7 50. Rc7+ Kd8 51. Ra7 c2 $19 {Myers})
45… Rd2 $6 (45… a3 $142 $5 {Harding} 46. Rc4 $3 (46. Bxe2 a2 47. Ra8 c2 48.
Rxa2 c1=Q+ 49. Kg2 Qc8 50. Ra5 Qc2 (50… Qxg8 51. Rxg5 Qc8 52. Rxh5 $11 {Tait}
) 51. Bxh5 Be3 52. Ra6+ Kc5 53. Rf6 d3 54. Ne7 Bd4 $17 {Myers}) (46. hxg5 Re1+
47. Kg2 a2 48. Ra8 a1=Q 49. Rxa1 Rxa1 50. Nh6 Ra7 51. Kf3 Kc5 $17 {Harding})
46… a2 47. Rxd4+ Ke5 48. Ra4 c2 49. Bxc2 Rxc2 50. hxg5 Rc1+ 51. Kg2 a1=Q 52.
Rxa1 Rxa1 53. f4+ $5 (53. Nf6 Ra2 54. Nxh5 Kf5 55. Nf4 Kxg5 56. Nd5 Kf5 $11 {
Tait}) 53… Kf5 54. Nh6+ Kg6 55. g4 Ra2+ 56. Kh3 Ra3+ 57. Kh4 hxg4 58. Kxg4
Ra1 59. Nf5 $11 {Myers}) 46. Be4 $2 (46. Bb5 $3 a3 47. Rc6+ $1 (47. hxg5 a2 48.
Rc6+ Ke5 49. Rc5+ Ke6 $15) 47… Kd5 (47… Ke5 48. Rc5+ Kd6 49. Rc6+ Ke5 50.
Rc5+ Kd6 51. Rc6+ $11 {Harding}) 48. hxg5 a2 49. Nf6+ $8 Ke5 50. Ra6 (50. f4+
Kf5 51. Ra6 $8 Rd1+ $8 52. Kf2 a1=Q 53. Bd3+ $1 Rxd3 54. Rxa1 c2 $1 $11 {Myers}
) 50… Rd1+ 51. Kg2 a1=Q 52. f4+ Kf5 53. Bd3+ Rxd3 54. Rxa1 c2 $11 {Myers})
46… a3 $1 (46… Be7 47. Rc6+ (47. Ra8 d3 48. Rxa4 Rd1+ 49. Kg2 d2 50. Bc2
Rc1 51. Bb3 $11 {Messere}) 47… Ke5 48. Bg2 Bd6 49. Nh6 Ke6 50. Bh3+ Kd5 51.
Bg2+ $11 {Myers}) (46… Rd1+ $5 47. Kg2 a3 $1 48. Rc6+ Ke5 49. Kf3 a2 50. Rc5+
Kd6 51. Rc6+ Kd7 52. Ra6 a1=Q 53. Rxa1 Rxa1 54. hxg5 Ra2 $19 {Myers}) (46… a3
$1 47. hxg5 a2 48. Rd8+ (48. Ra8 $5 Rd1+ 49. Kg2 a1=Q 50. Rxa1 Rxa1 51. Nh6 Ra7
$17) 48… Kc5 49. Ra8 (49. Rc8+ $5 Kb4 50. Rb8+ Kc5 51. Rc8+ Kd6 52. Rd8+ Kc7
53. Ra8 Rd1+ $17) 49… Rd1+ (49… Kc4 50. Kg2 d3 51. Nf6 $11 {Myers}) (49…
c2 50. Bxc2 Rxc2 51. Kg2 d3 52. Kf3 d2 53. Ke2 Kd4 $17 {Myers}) 50. Kg2 a1=Q
51. Rxa1 Rxa1 52. Nh6 $1 {Messere} Re1 53. Bc2 Re2 54. Bf5 c2 $19 {Myers}) (
46… Bxh4 47. gxh4 a3 48. Kg2 a2 49. Ra8 c2 50. Bxc2 Rxc2 51. Nh6 d3 $17) 0-1
[/pgn]

The quality of my chess in the 1965-68 World Championship was much inferior. The tournament began disastrously. I went in for three losing variations as Black and made a suicidal clerical error in the opening so that after 3 months I had four losses from four games. Later, there were compensations. I won against V. Zagarovsky, the reigning world champion (the third annotated game) and obtained just (but only just) the necessary 33.3% per cent to obtain the correspondence chess international master title. For this I needed a win and draw from my last two games which
after 3.5 years, had to be adjudicated.

[pgn]
[Event “W-ch05 corr6568”]
[Site “ICCF corr”]
[Date “1965.??.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Estrin, Yakov Borisovich”]
[Black “Messere, Kenneth Charles”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “C45”]
[Annotator “Ken Messere and BCN”]
[PlyCount “110”]
[EventDate “1965.??.??”]
[EventType “tourn (corr)”]
[EventRounds “16”]
[SourceTitle “Corr Nr. 1, British Ches”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “1997.09.01”]
[SourceVersion “2”]
[SourceVersionDate “2000.04.19”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. e4 Nc6 2. d4 e5 3. Nf3 exd4 4. Nxd4 Bc5 5. Nb3 Bb4+ 6. c3 Be7 {[#]} 7. Be2
$146 ({Relevant:} 7. f4 d6 8. Bc4 Nf6 9. O-O Nxe4 10. Bxf7+ Kxf7 11. Qd5+ Be6
12. Qxe4 Bf6 13. f5 Bxb3 14. axb3 Re8 15. Qd5+ Kf8 16. Bf4 Qe7 17. Nd2 a6 18.
Ra4 Qf7 19. Qd3 d5 20. Nf3 h6 21. Qd2 Re4 22. Rxe4 dxe4 23. Nd4 Nxd4 24. cxd4
Rd8 25. Qb4+ Kg8 26. Be5 Qd5 27. Bxf6 gxf6 28. Qe7 Qd6 29. Qxe4 Qxd4+ 30. Qxd4
Rxd4 31. Rc1 c6 32. Rc3 Rf4 33. Rg3+ Kf7 34. Rg6 Rxf5 35. Rxh6 Kg7 36. Rh3 a5 {
Lazarevic,M-Gaprindashvili,N Leningrad 1964 1/2-1/2}) 7… Nf6 8. N1d2 d5 9.
exd5 Nxd5 10. Nf3 O-O 11. O-O Bf5 12. Nbd4 Nxd4 13. Nxd4 Bg6 14. Qb3 Nb6 15.
Bf3 c6 16. Bf4 Bd6 17. Ne6 fxe6 18. Qxe6+ Rf7 19. Qxd6 Qxd6 20. Bxd6 Nc4 21.
Rfd1 Nxb2 22. Rd4 Re8 23. h4 h6 24. a4 Nd3 25. a5 Ne1 $16 {Here I offered
Estrin a draw but he turned the offer down.} 26. a6 $17 (26. Bd1) 26… Nxf3+
27. gxf3 b6 28. f4 {KCM: I refused draw offers from Estrin at 28 and 30 and
later the shadow of adjudication came into play.} c5 29. Rdd1 Bc2 30. Re1 Rc8
31. Re3 Rc6 32. Be5 b5 33. Kh2 h5 34. Rg3 g6 35. Ra2 Bf5 36. Rg1 Rd7 37. Re1
Kf7 38. Ree2 b4 $2 {KCM:Believing there were only three moves left to play, I
wanted to show the adjudicator a passed pawn on the sixth rank and sent this
and the 39th move as a conditional; BCN: The engines both rate this as the
best move by some margin.} ({KCM: Both the slower} 38… Ke6) ({and} 38… Be6
{were both better.}) 39. Reb2 (39. Rab2 Rb6 40. cxb4 cxb4 $19) 39… Rb6 $2 {
BCN: The ? is rather harsh since this move is still good for Black.} ({KCM:
Better} 39… Be6 40. Ra4 b3 41. c4 Rb6) 40. Ra5 bxc3 41. Rxb6 $2 (41. Bxc3 $1
{draws after} Rxb2 42. Bxb2 c4 ({or} 42… Rc7 43. Be5 {KCM: Another
adjudication induced error?}) 43. Rc5) 41… axb6 42. a7 Be4 $1 43. Ra4 $1 {
KCM: Other moves lose quickly.} Ba8 $1 ({BCN: According to SF} 43… c2 $1 44.
Rxe4 Rxa7 45. Rc4 Ra2 46. Bc7 b5 47. Rxc5 b4 $17) 44. Bxc3 Ke6 ({KCM: Not}
44… b5 $2 45. Ra6 {draws. At this point we learnt adjudication was postponed
5 months, but now I am winning. BCN: SF evaluates this as dead level!}) 45.
Ra6 Rd6 46. Ra1 b5 $1 47. Ra5 Rb6 (47… b4 {KCM: Not} 48. Be5 {draws}) 48. Bd2
$11 Kd5 49. Be3 Kc4 50. Ra1 Rc6 51. Rd1 Rc8 ({KCM: Not} 51… Rc7 $4 52. Rd8 $1
Rxa7 53. Rc8 {draws}) 52. Rd6 $2 {BCN: this is Black’s losing move although
KCM does not mention this.} ({BCN: In fact, Estrin should have played} 52. Rc1+
Kd5 53. Rd1+ {and Black cannot make progress.}) 52… b4 $1 {KCM: Only this
pawn sacrifice wins} 53. Rxg6 ({KCM: is no better} 53. Rb6 Rc7) 53… b3 54. f5
Rc7 55. f6 b2 {and wins} 0-1
[/pgn]

Fortunately, the win and draw were relatively clear, though this would not have been so a few moves earlier. An an illustration of how the threat of adjudication breeds irrationality, Diagram II gives the closing stages of my win against J.Estrin of the USSR – a more recent correspondence chess world champion. My only other game against a world champion was against the winner of this tournament, Hans Berliner of the United States, with whom I collaborated on a book of the tournament. The collaboration was stimulating but not without friction, since I had to write 75 per cent of the book to see it ever finished. It took a year to complete, 3 years to appear (published by BCM) but in the end was well-reviewed, sold over 2000 copies and royalties are still (gently) drifting in.

The Fifth Correspondence Chess World Championship, Hans Berliner & Ken Messere, British Chess Magazine, BCM Quarterly Nunber 14, 5th December 1971, ISBN 978-0-900846-05-2.

In the early seventies, in order to reduce numbers of games, I retreated altogether from individual tournaments, just playing twice for England in the Olympiads. Whether team play did not suit my style, or whether my technique had improved but imagination withered, I drew nine of my seventeen games from the two tournaments, winning four and losing four. As England looked likely to aspire to medals for the first time ever, my 50 per cent would not help matters and I gladly retreated to first reserve, which to my dismay required taking over five unfinished games of Hugh Alexander, who died during the tournament, and who, for me, has always been England’s most attractive player and writer. My most uncomfortable decision in correspondence chess was a rejection of Hugh’s intended continuation in one of these games, {Diagram III). Of these five games, I lost one and drew four and England won a bronze medal.

In 1974 was invited to compete in the Potter Memorial Tournament of four postal grandmasters and nine international masters. After so many years of responsible’ team chess for England, I went beserk and sacrificed a pawn in ten of the twelve games, trying later to salvage inferior end-games. Result 33 % per cent. B. H. Wood invited me to write a book of the tournament, to which a number of the players contributed and this was published in 1979.

The Potter Memorial, Ken Messere, CHESS (Sutton Coldfield), 1975

Also in 1979 I began to play in another invitation tournament of thirteen players organised by the Australian Correspondence Chess League, which became a memorial to CJS Purdy, its president and the first world postal champion, who died soon after the tournament began. At the time of writing, this tournament, comprising four grandmasters (including one former world champion and two runners-up) and eight international masters, is still in its early stages.”

From British Chess Magazine, Volume CXXV (125, 2005), Number 5 (May), page 226 we have this obituary:

“Kenneth Charles Messere (16 iv 1928, Richmond – 31 iii 2005, Paris) was one of Britain’s strongest correspondence players (he held the correspondence IM title) and well-known author of books on the subject. After graduating from Oxford University, Ken Messere went to HM Customs and Excise, and thence to the Organisation for Economic Development (OECD) where he became head of the fiscal affairs division and a world expert on fiscal law. He reached the final of 1965-8 world correspondence championship, beating world champions Zagorovsky and Estrin, and wrote the book of the tournament with Hans Berliner (published by BCM)”

From The Potter Memorial by Ken Messere, CHESS (Sutton Coldfield), “Chess for Modern Times” Series, 1975 we have this potted biography:

“Compiler of this book, took 3rd place in 1957 and 2nd in 1968 in the championship of the Postal Chess Club. Scores of 4.5 out of 6 in the ICCF Masters 1957-8 and 4/6 in the 1959-61 Championship took him to victory with 11/5 out of 13 in the 1961-3 semi-finals, securing him his first international master norm and qualifying him for the 5th World Championship 1964-7 in which he scored 5.5, just enough for the IM title, with wins over Zagorovsky, then world champion and Estrin, world champion now. Ken Messere collaborated with Berliner, who won it, in a book on the tournament.

He then switched to play exclusively as a member of the British Olympiad team, taking over 2nd board when Alexander died.

The switch back from rather cautious team play to enterprising individual games in 1974-7 provides some of the subject matter of this book.”

The Tax System in Industrialized Countries, Ken Messere, Oxford University Press, 1998, ISBN 10: 1982933135 / ISBN 13: 9781982933135

2022, Biographies, British Championships, Club, Congress, English, Games Analysis, History, Journalism, Minor Pieces, Richard James

Minor Pieces 28: George Edward Wainwright Part 3

March 25, 2022 Richard James 2 Comments

This is the third post in my series about George Edward Wainwright, sometime member of Twickenham, Guildford and Surbiton Chess Clubs, and one of the strongest English amateurs of his day.

You can read Part 1 here and Part 2 here.

American Chess Magazine 1898: taken from a public member tree on ancestry.co.uk

We left George in Surbiton in 1911, happily married, with four children and an important job in local government.

That summer he travelled abroad to play chess for the first time. He was playing top board for a team of members and friends of Hastings Chess Club who embarked on a tour of France and Switzerland, scoring 4½/5. I guess he was a friend, rather than a member.

Here’s a game from their match against the Union Amicale des Amateurs de la Régence, where he encountered the Russian diplomat Vassily Soldatenkov. (Click on any move of any game in this article and a Magic Pop-up Chessboard should, with any luck, appear.)

[pgn]

[Event “Paris v Hastings Café de la Régence”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1911.08.17”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Black “Soldatenkov, Vassily”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “D55”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.1 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “103”]
1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Nbd7
5. e3 Be7 6. Qc2 O-O 7. Nf3 b6 8. cxd5 exd5 9. Rd1 Bb7 10. Bd3 h6 {D55:
Queen’s Gambit Declined: 4 Bg5 Be7: Lines without …h6 and 6…h6 7 Bxf6.} 11.
Bf4 c5 12. h3 {[#] White is much more active. Black has bad knights.} c4 $146 {
White is slightly better.} ({Predecessor:} 12… Re8 13. O-O Nf8 14. Bb5 N8d7
15. Ne5 Rc8 16. Nxd7 Nxd7 17. Qf5 Bc6 18. Bxc6 Rxc6 19. Nxd5 {1-0 (34)
Shoosmith,H-Mercer,A Shrewsbury/ Shropshire 1906}) 13. Be2 (13. Bf5 $14) 13…
a6 14. Ne5 (14. a4 $11) 14… b5 $1 $17 {[%cal Bb6b5,Bb5b4][%mdl 32] Hoping
for …b4.} 15. Bf3 (15. O-O $15) 15… b4 16. Ne2 Rc8 (16… a5 $17) 17. O-O {
[%cal Oa2a3] [#]} Re8 (17… a5 $1 $17) 18. Ng3 (18. a3 $11 {keeps the balance.
}) 18… c3 $2 (18… a5 $17) 19. b3 $2 {[%mdl 8192]} (19. Rc1 $14) 19… Nf8
$2 (19… Bf8 $19 {aiming for …a5.} 20. Nf5 Qb6) 20. Nf5 (20. Bxh6 $11 Ne6
21. Bh5) 20… Ne6 $1 $15 21. Bxh6 $1 Bf8 (21… gxh6 $2 22. Nxh6+ Kf8 23.
Nexf7 $18) 22. Bf4 Nxf4 ({Better is} 22… g6 $15 23. Nh6+ Bxh6 24. Bxh6 Ne4)
23. exf4 $14 g6 (23… a5 $14) 24. Ne3 $16 Ne4 25. Bxe4 (25. Rfe1 $16) 25…
dxe4 $14 26. f5 (26. d5 $14) 26… Qg5 $36 {[%mdl 2048] Black fights for an
advantage.} 27. fxg6 f6 28. N5g4 {[%cal Oa2a3]} Qxg6 29. Nc4 (29. f4 $1 $11)
29… Rc7 ({Black should try} 29… Qg5 $17) 30. Rfe1 $2 (30. f4 $1 $11 {
and White is okay.}) 30… Rg7 $19 {[%mdl 1024] Black has strong compensation.}
31. Nce3 {[#]} (31. g3 $142) 31… Bd6 $2 (31… Kh8 $1 $19 {And now …f5
would win.} 32. Qe2 Be7) 32. Nf5 $1 $14 {Pair of Knights!} Rd7 {[%mdl 8192]
Black is on the road to losing.} (32… Bf4 $1 $14 33. Nxg7 Kxg7) 33. f3 (33.
d5 $142) 33… Bf4 $2 (33… Kh8 {was necessary.} 34. fxe4 Bc7) 34. fxe4 $18
Bd2 35. Re2 Qxf5 {[#]} 36. Nh6+ $1 {[%mdl 512]} Bxh6 37. exf5 {[%mdl 64]
Discovered Attack} Rxe2 (37… Be3+ 38. Rxe3 Rxe3) 38. Qxe2 {Black must now
prevent Qe8+. White is clearly winning.} Rc7 39. Qe8+ Bf8 40. Qd8 Re7 41. d5 c2
42. Rc1 Re2 43. Qxf6 {Threatens to win with Qg6+.} Bc5+ 44. Kh2 Be3 45. Qg6+
Kf8 46. Qf6+ Kg8 47. Qd8+ Kf7 48. Qc7+ Kf6 49. Rxc2 Rxc2 50. Qxc2 Bxd5 51. Qd3
{[%csl LRa6,LRd5,LRe3]} Bf4+ 52. g3 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.65/Black=0.
76} 1-0

[/pgn]

At this point he took a break from tournament chess, not playing in either the 1911 British Championship in Glasgow or the 1911-12 City of London Championship.

He wasn’t inactive, though: in November he took part in a simul at the City of London Club against the up and coming young Cuban Capablanca, where he managed to win his game.

In 1912 he didn’t have far to go for the British Championship, which took place just up the road from him in Richmond – the Castle Assembly Rooms to be precise, down by the river and opposite the Town Hall. Again, he didn’t take part, but was there as a visitor. (I’m considering a future series of Minor Pieces about some of the chessers who descended on Richmond that year.)

Wainwright was back in action in the 1912-13 City of London Championship, but without success. A large entry that year required three qualifying sections, with three qualifiers from each section making the final pool. He was well down the field in his section.

Throughout his life he remained loyal to his home county of Yorkshire: in those days there was no problem representing both Surrey and Yorkshire in county matches.

In this game from a Yorkshire – Middlesex match played in Leicester (a neutral venue) he beat one of his regular London opponents and a future Kingston resident.

[pgn]

[Event “Yorkshire v Middlesex (Leicester)”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1913.10.11”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Black “Michell, Reginald Pryce”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “C82”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.1 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “61”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 {[%cal Bf1b5,Bb5a4,Ba4b3,Bb3c2][%mdl 32]} a6
4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Nxe4 6. d4 b5 7. Bb3 d5 8. dxe5 Be6 9. c3 Be7 10. Nbd2 {
[%cal Bb1d2,Bd2b3,Bb3d4,Bd4f5][%mdl 32]} Nc5 11. Bc2 Bg4 12. h3 Bh5 13. Re1 O-O
{[#]} 14. Nb3 $146 {[%cal Oc2h7] [#] Inhibits d4. Hoping for Bxh7+! C82: Open
Ruy Lopez: 9 c3 without 9…Be7.} ({Predecessor:} 14. Nf1 Bg6 15. Bxg6 hxg6 16.
Ne3 Qd7 17. Nxd5 Rad8 18. Nxe7+ Qxe7 19. Qc2 Rd5 20. Bg5 Qd7 21. c4 bxc4 22.
Qxc4 {1/2-1/2 (45) Alekhine,A-Levenfish,G Karlovy Vary 1911}) 14… Ne6 15. g4
Bg6 16. Nfd4 (16. Bf5 $14) 16… Ncxd4 $17 17. Nxd4 {aiming for Bxg6.} Bg5 (
17… Bxc2 $15 {keeps the upper hand.} 18. Qxc2 c5 19. Nxe6 fxe6) 18. Nf5 $16
Qd7 $2 {[%mdl 8192]} (18… a5 $16) 19. Kh2 $2 ({Only move:} 19. Bxg5 $18 Nxg5
20. h4 Nh3+ 21. Kg2 Nf4+ 22. Kg3 Nh5+ 23. Kh2 (23. Kf3 Qe6 $16)) 19… Rad8 (
19… f6 $11 {remains equal.}) 20. Bxg5 Nxg5 21. f4 Ne6 22. Qf3 {White is more
active.} Rfe8 (22… h6 $16) 23. Rad1 Nf8 (23… c6 $142 24. Qf2 Qc7) 24. Rd2
Bxf5 $2 (24… a5 {keeps fighting.} 25. Qg3 a4) 25. gxf5 $18 {[%cal Bg4f5,
Bf5f6][%mdl 32]} c6 (25… Kh8 $142 26. Qh5 f6) 26. Rg1 Kh8 27. Qg3 {[%csl Gg1]
[%cal Rg3g7]} g6 28. Qh4 Qe7 29. f6 Qc7 30. Qh6 {[%csl Gf6][%cal Rh6g7]} Ne6 {
[#]} 31. Rg5 $1 {[%mdl 512] Weighted Error Value: White=0.44/Black=1.23} 1-0

[/pgn]

Just two days later he took part in another simul against Capablanca, forsaking his usual tactical style and, after his opponent’s ill-advised queen trade, winning in the manner of – Capablanca.

[pgn]

[Event “Simul: City of London Chess Club”]
[Site “City of London CC, London ENG”]
[Date “1913.10.13”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Capablanca, Jose Raul”]
[Black “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “C90”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.1 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “74”]
[EventDate “1913.??.??”]
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Ba4 Nf6 5. O-O Be7 6. Re1 b5 7. Bb3 d6
8. c3 {[%cal Bc2c3,Bc3d4,Bd4d5][%mdl 32]} Na5 9. Bc2 c5 10. a4 {[#] Strongly
threatening axb5. C90: Closed Ruy Lopez with 7…d6: Early deviations.} Rb8
$146 ({Predecessor:} 10… b4 11. d4 Qc7 12. cxb4 cxb4 13. b3 Bb7 14. Bb2 Rc8
15. Bd3 Nd7 16. Nbd2 O-O 17. Rc1 Qb8 18. Qe2 Qa8 19. dxe5 dxe5 20. Rxc8 Rxc8
21. Nxe5 {1/2-1/2 (30) Balla,Z-Reti,R Temesvar 1912}) 11. axb5 axb5 12. d4 {
White is better.} cxd4 13. cxd4 Nc6 14. d5 Nb4 15. Bb3 O-O 16. Nc3 {[%cal
Bb1c3,Bc3e2,Be2g3][%mdl 32]} Na6 17. Bc2 b4 18. Ne2 Nd7 19. b3 Ndc5 20. Ng3 g6
21. Bh6 Re8 22. Qd2 Bf6 (22… Bg4 $11) 23. h4 Bg7 24. Bxg7 (24. Bg5 $16 Bf6
25. Be3) 24… Kxg7 $11 25. Ra2 Bg4 26. Qg5 $2 {Now White is beyond hope.} ({
White should try} 26. h5 $15) 26… Qxg5 $19 27. hxg5 Bxf3 28. gxf3 Nc7 {
[%cal Ba6c7,Bc7b5,Bb5a3][%mdl 32]} 29. Rea1 Nb5 30. Ne2 Na3 31. Bd1 (31. Kg2 {
keeps fighting.}) 31… h6 32. gxh6+ Kxh6 33. Kf1 Kg5 34. Nc1 Rh8 {[#] aiming
for …Rh1+. Black is clearly winning.} 35. Ke2 Nb5 {Pair of Knights!} 36. Ke3
Nc3 {[%csl LRa2,LRd1]} 37. Rd2 Rh3 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.62/Black=0.
21 (precise)} 0-1

[/pgn]

The following year, he did better in the City of London Championship, this time qualifying for the finals by winning this game against a young Dutch master who had crossed the Channel hoping to make money by beating rich Englishmen.

[pgn]

[Event “City of London Club Championship”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1914.02.07”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Davidson, Jacques”]
[Black “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “C65”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.1 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “62”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. c3 g6 6. h3 {
C65: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence (3…Nf6), unusual lines and 4 0-0 Bc5.} Bg7 7.
Be3 O-O 8. Nbd2 {[#] The position is equal.} Nd7 $146 ({Predecessor:} 8… Bd7
9. O-O a6 10. Ba4 h6 11. Re1 b5 12. Bc2 b4 13. d4 bxc3 14. bxc3 Ne8 {1/2-1/2
(46) Messemaker,C-Loman,R The Hague 1890}) 9. O-O f5 10. Bc4+ (10. exf5 {
seems wilder.} gxf5 11. Ng5 f4 12. Ne6 Qe7 13. Bc4) 10… Kh8 11. Bg5 {[#]} (
11. exf5 $1 $11 gxf5 12. Ng5) 11… Qe8 $1 $17 {Threatens to win with …f4.}
12. Nh2 $2 {[%mdl 8192]} (12. Bh4 $17) 12… h6 $19 13. exf5 hxg5 14. Ne4 gxf5
15. Nxg5 Nb6 16. Bb3 Qg6 17. f4 exf4 18. h4 Bd7 19. Rxf4 Be5 20. Rf3 Bxh2+ 21.
Kxh2 Ne5 22. Rg3 (22. Rf4 $142 a5 23. d4 Ng4+ 24. Kg1) 22… Ng4+ 23. Kg1 d5
24. d4 Rae8 25. Qd3 {[%cal Og3g4]} Re4 26. Rf1 Rfe8 27. Nxe4 dxe4 ({Weaker is}
27… fxe4 28. Qe2 $11) 28. Qe2 {[%cal Ob3f7]} c6 $2 (28… e3 $19 {And now …
Re4 would win.} 29. Rh3 Qh6) 29. Bf7 $1 $15 Qxf7 {Chess con chili.} 30. Rxg4 e3
{[#] …Qc4 is the strong threat. Black is more active.} 31. Rf3 $2 {[%mdl
8192]} (31. Rg3 $15) 31… Qc4 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.65/Black=0.18
(very precise)} 0-1

[/pgn]

By now it was 1914 and storm clouds were gathering over Europe. The London League kept going for one more season. Wainwright was representing the Lud Eagle club and won this game featuring a rather unusual sacrificial kingside attack in a match against West London. His opponent, William Henry Regan, was a stamp and coin dealer.

[pgn]

[Event “London League: Lud Eagle v West London”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1914.??.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Black “Regan, William Henry”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “A43”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.1 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “63”]

1. d4 c5
2. d5 Nf6 3. Nf3 d6 4. Nc3 {[#]} a6 $146 ({Predecessor:} 4… g6 5. e4 Bg4 6.
h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 Bg7 8. Qe2 Nbd7 9. f4 Nh5 10. Qf3 a6 11. g4 Nhf6 12. Bg2 Qb6
13. Rf1 O-O-O {0-1 (60) Holmes,H-Blackburne,J Scarborough/ North Yorkshire 1909
}) 5. g3 g6 (5… b5 $1 $11 {remains equal.}) 6. Bg2 {A43: Schmid Benoni.} (6.
a4 $16) 6… Bg7 (6… b5 $1 $11) 7. O-O (7. e4 $16) 7… O-O (7… b5 $1 $11 {
keeps the balance.}) 8. Bf4 (8. a4 $16) 8… Nh5 9. Bd2 b5 10. Rb1 (10. a3 $11)
10… Bb7 {White must now prevent …b4.} 11. e4 Nd7 12. Ng5 h6 13. Nh3 Ne5 ({
Black should try} 13… Nhf6 $15) 14. Ne2 ({Better is} 14. g4 $11 Nf6 15. g5
hxg5 16. Nxg5) 14… b4 15. f4 {[%cal Bf2f4,Bf4f5][%mdl 32]} Nc4 16. b3 Na3 (
16… Nxd2 $15 {keeps the upper hand.} 17. Qxd2 Nf6) 17. Rc1 $16 {And now g4
would win.} Bb2 (17… e6 $16 {was called for.}) 18. f5 $18 Bxc1 $2 (18… g5
$16 {is tougher.}) 19. Bxc1 g5 20. Nef4 Nf6 (20… gxf4 21. Qxh5 e5 22. fxe6
fxe6 23. Qg6+ Kh8 24. Qxh6+ Kg8 25. Qxe6+ Rf7 26. Rxf4 $18) (20… Ng7 {
might work better.}) 21. Nh5 {[%cal Oh3g5] Nxg5! is the strong threat.} Nb5 $2
{[#]} (21… c4) 22. Nxf6+ $2 ({White must play} 22. Nxg5 $1 $18 {[%mdl 512]}
Nc3 23. Nxf6+ exf6 24. Ne6 Nxd1 25. Nxd8 Rfxd8 26. Rxd1) 22… exf6 $14 23. Qh5
Kg7 {[#] aiming for …Rh8.} 24. Bxg5 $1 {White is more active.} Rh8 {Loses
the game.} (24… fxg5 $2 25. f6+ Qxf6 26. Rxf6 Kxf6 27. Qxh6+ Ke7 28. Nxg5 $18
) (24… hxg5 $16 {keeps fighting.} 25. Nxg5 fxg5 26. f6+ {[#]} Qxf6 $1 {
[%mdl 512]} 27. Rxf6 Kxf6 28. e5+ dxe5 29. Qh6+ Ke7) 25. Bh4 {The board is on
fire. This bishop pair is nice.} Nd4 $2 (25… Qe7 26. Nf2 (26. Nf4 Rag8 $14)
26… Nc7) 26. Nf4 $18 {White is clearly winning.} Rg8 {[#]} 27. Ne6+ $1 {
[%mdl 576] Deflection} fxe6 28. Qg6+ Kf8 29. Qxh6+ Ke8 30. fxe6 {Qh5+ would
kill now.} Nxe6 31. dxe6 {Intending Qh5+ and mate.} Qe7 32. Qh5+ {Weighted
Error Value: White=0.71/Black=1.03} 1-0

[/pgn]

The City of London Championship managed to keep going for the duration, albeit with far fewer entries, giving George Edward Wainwright the opportunity to continue playing his favourite game.

He didn’t play in 1914-15 or 1915-16, but returned to the fray in 1916-17. Understandably rusty, he finished in last place behind Edward Guthlac Sergeant. The following year, fulfilling the prophecy from Matthew 20:16 (The last shall be first), later repeated by Bob Dylan (The loser now will be later to win) he shared first place with Philip Walsingham Sergeant (EG’s second cousin) and Edmund MacDonald, winning the play-off and so taking the title for the second time.

He was unsuccessful in defending his title in 1918-19, finishing in midfield behind the Latvian master Theodor Germann as chess started to wake up again following the end of hostilities.

In 1919 the British Chess Federation celebrated with a Victory Tournament in Hastings, where Capablanca won the top section ahead of Kostic. The Ladies’ Championship was included but the title of British Champion itself wasn’t awarded. While in the country, Capa gave a simul at the City of London Club, and, for a third time, lost against Wainwright.

Meanwhile, there were some important changes in Wainwright’s personal life. There was a major reconstruction of local government in 1919: the Local Government Board was abolished, its powers being transferred to the newly created Ministry of Health. It seems likely that at this point Wainwright, a wealthy gentleman whose children had now grown up, decided to retire. At some point in 1920 he and his wife moved to Alice’s home village of Box, Wiltshire. Box is situated in the beautiful Cotswolds, on the A4 between the city of Bath and the market town of Corsham.

The village’s previous claim to chess fame was as the birthplace of Thomas Bowdler (1754-1825), who, when he wasn’t expunging Shakespeare’s rude words, was one of the strongest English players of his day.

The Wainwright family settled in a cottage called Netherby, near the centre of the village, now a Grade 2 listed building. Very charming it looks too.

The Reverend Vere Awdry and his family moved into Lorne House (now a Bed & Breakfast establishment), next to the railway station on the road to Corsham, also in 1920. They’d arrived in the village in 1917, and had lived at two previous addresses there. He and his young son Wilbert used to spend hours watching the steam trains pass by. Many years later, Wilbert, now the Reverend W Awdry, would be inspired by this memory to write the Thomas the Tank Engine books, much loved by generations of young children, including me. George and Vere, as prominent members of the village community, would surely have known each other, and George would have known young Wilbert as well.

By 1920 things were back to normal, and George Edward Wainwright, now retired, was one of those selected for the British Championship in Edinburgh: his first appearance for a decade. His address was given as London and Box in different newspapers, which suggests he’d just moved, or was in the process of moving.

Roland Henry Vaughan Scott was the slightly surprising winner, ahead of the hot favourite Sir George Alan Thomas. Wainwright scored a respectable 4½/11, not bad for a player in his late 50s.

In this game he launched a dangerous kingside attack in typical style, and his opponent wasn’t up to the defensive task. Scottish champion Francis Percival (Percy) Wenman, a former petty thief (of chess books) and later plagiarist, will be well worth a future Minor Piece.

[pgn]

[Event “British CF-13 Championship”]
[Site “Edinburgh”]
[Date “1920.08.11”]
[Round “3”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward Sr”]
[Black “Wenman, Francis Percival”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “D40”]
[PlyCount “73”]
[EventDate “1920.08.09”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “11”]
[EventCountry “SCO”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2017”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. d4 e6 2. Nf3 d5 3. e3 Nf6 4. c4 c5 5. Bd3 Nc6 6. O-O Bd6
7. Nc3 O-O 8. b3 b6 {D40: Queen’s Gambit Declined: Semi-Tarrasch with 5 e3.} 9.
Bb2 Bb7 10. Qe2 Re8 $146 {Black is slightly better.} ({Predecessor:} 10… cxd4
11. exd4 Nh5 12. g3 Nf6 13. Rad1 Rc8 14. Nb5 Bb8 15. Ne5 a6 16. Na3 Nb4 {
1-0 (57) Janowski,D-Rosenthal,J New York 1916}) 11. Rad1 cxd4 12. exd4 Rc8 13.
Bb1 Bb8 14. Ne5 Ne7 15. Rd3 Ng6 {[#] Strongly threatening …Nf4.} 16. f4 Bc6
17. g4 {[%cal Bg2g4,Bg4g5][%mdl 32]} (17. Nxc6 Rxc6 18. g3 dxc4 19. bxc4 Rxc4
$15) 17… Rf8 18. g5 Bxe5 {[%mdl 8192]} (18… Ne4 $16 {was called for.}) 19.
dxe5 $18 Nd7 20. cxd5 exd5 21. Qh5 Re8 22. Nxd5 (22. Rh3 Ndf8 23. f5 Rxe5 $16)
22… Bxd5 23. Rxd5 Rc5 24. Rd3 Qc7 25. Qg4 Ndxe5 $2 (25… Ndf8 26. Rdd1 Rd8)
26. fxe5 Nxe5 27. Qe4 g6 28. Re1 $2 (28. Re3) 28… Nf3+ 29. Qxf3 $2 (29. Rxf3
$18 {[%cal Re4e8]} Rxe4 30. Bxe4) 29… Rxe1+ $11 30. Kf2 {[%cal Bg1f2,Bf2e1,
Be1e2][%mdl 32] Intending Qa8+ and mate.} Rf5 $2 {[%mdl 8192] [#]} 31. Qxf5 $1
$18 {Chess con chili.} ({Worse is} 31. Kxe1 Rxf3 32. Rxf3 Qe7+ 33. Kf1 Qxg5 $14
) 31… gxf5 ({Weaker is} 31… Rxb1 32. Rd8+ Qxd8 33. Qxb1) 32. Kxe1 {Bf6 is
the strong threat.} h6 $2 (32… f6) 33. Bf6 Qc1+ 34. Ke2 {White threatens
Rd8+ and mate.} ({And not} 34. Rd1 Qe3+ 35. Kf1 Qf3+ 36. Ke1 hxg5 $11) 34…
Qxb1 35. Rd8+ {White mates.} Kh7 36. Rh8+ Kg6 37. Rxh6# {Source: The Scotsman
13 Aug 1920. Weighted Error Value: White=0.56/Black=1.09} 1-0

[/pgn]

It was now 1921 and time for the census enumerator to pay a visit to the Wainwright residence in Box. George and Alice were there, along with a visitor from Bradford, possibly a family friend, and a general servant.

You’ll find out what happened in the latter stages of his life and chess career next time.

Sources:

ancestry.co.uk

findmypast.co.uk

Wikipedia

Google Maps

edochess.ca

chessgames.com

Britbase

Thanks to Gerard Killoran for information about Wainwright’s simul games against Capablanca.

2022, Biographies, British Championships, Congress, Games Analysis, History, Journalism, Minor Pieces, Player, Richard James

Minor Pieces 27: George Edward Wainwright Part 2

March 7, 2022 Richard James 1 Comment

Apologies for the Minor Pieces delay, but I had a deadline on another project. It’s now time to return to George Edward Wainwright.

Here he is again. You might recall (it was a long time ago) that, in my previous article, we left him in 1901, an English international player, previously a member of Twickenham Chess Club, but now living and playing chess in Guildford.

The chess world would change a lot over the next decade, beginning to look a lot more like the world we know today, with a mixture of club and county matches and tournaments. It was, in the spirit of the times, becoming more competitive. George Edward Wainwright was in his element.

At the end of May 1901 he was in Folkestone for the 3rd Kent County Chess Association Tournament, although his result there was rather indifferent. His opponents included Edward Guthlac Sergeant, Joseph Henry Blake and the endgame expert Creassey Edward Cecil Tattersall, the winner of his section. The other section was won by Henry Ernest Atkins, ahead of Lucien Serraillier, father of the novellist Ian Serriallier (The Silver Sword).

His short draw against Tattersall featured an opening that would become the height of fashion a century later. He mishandled it, but on move 15 his opponent missed the win. 119 years later, English IM Jack Rudd reached the same position and made no mistake. (Click on any move in any game in this article and a pop-up window will magically appear.)

[pgn]

[Event “Kent County Championship Folkestone”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1901.05.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Tattersall, Creassey Edward Cecil”]
[Black “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “C67”]
[PlyCount “38”]

{[%evp 21,38,39,91,85,278,258,278,302,287,62,52,0,0,0,0,0,0,0,0]} 1. e4 e5 2.
Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 Nf6 4. O-O Nxe4 5. d4 Nd6 6. Bxc6 dxc6 7. dxe5 Nf5 8. Qxd8+ Kxd8
9. Nc3 Be6 10. Ng5 Bc4 11. Rd1+ Ke8 {[%cal Bd8e8,Be8f7,Bf7e6,Be6d6][%mdl 32]}
12. b3 {White is more active. C67: Ruy Lopez: Berlin Defence: 4 0-0 Nxe4.} Ba6
{[#]} (12… h6 $16) 13. e6 $18 fxe6 14. Nxe6 {White has a decisive advantage.}
Bd6 15. Bb2 $2 (15. Ne4 $18 Be5 16. Rb1 Kf7 17. N6c5 Rad8 18. Bg5 Rxd1+ 19.
Rxd1 Nd6 20. Nxd6+ Bxd6 21. Nxa6 bxa6 22. Be3 c5 23. g3 Rb8 24. Rd5 a5 25. a4
c4 26. bxc4 Rb4 27. Rxa5 Rxc4 28. Rxa7 Rxc2 29. a5 Rc6 30. a6 Bc5 31. Bxc5 Rxc5
32. Rb7 Kg6 33. a7 Ra5 34. Rxc7 h5 35. h4 Ra2 36. Kf1 Kf6 37. Ke1 g5 38. hxg5+
Kxg5 39. Kd1 Kg4 40. Rf7 Kh3 41. Kc1 Kg2 42. Kb1 Rxa7 43. Rxa7 Kxf2 44. Rg7 {
1-0 (44) Rudd,J (2281)-Taylor,A (2402) Bridgend 2019}) 15… Kf7 $14 {[#]} 16.
Nxc7 Bxc7 {This bishop pair is nice. The position is equal.} 17. Rd7+ Ke6 $1
18. Rxc7 Kd6 19. Rf7 Ke6 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.70/Black=0.33} 1/2-1/2

[/pgn]

In May 1902 Wainwright took part in the 4th Kent tournament, held in Tunbridge Wells: an all-play-all for 10 players won by the Dutch organist Rudolf Loman, ahead of the likes of Reginald Pryce Michell and (later Sir) George Alan Thomas. Perhaps his most interesting opponent here was the mountaineer Edward Douglas Fawcett.

Against Isle of Wight solicitor Francis Joyce he essayed the relatively new and unexplored Albin Counter-Gambit.

[pgn]

[Event “1st Class Open Tunbridge Wells”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1902.05.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Joyce, Francis Albert”]
[Black “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “D08”]
[PlyCount “40”]

{[%evp 9,40,0,14,-6,0,0,65,36,173,129,144,39,37,-53,-56,-114,-12,-204,-162,
-348,-332,-610,-569,-684,-655,-652,-653,-866,-867,-875,-876,-875,-829]} 1. d4
d5 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 d4 {[#]} 4. Bd2 $146 ({Predecessor:} 4. Nf3 Nc6 5. Nbd2 a5
6. Nb3 Bg4 7. a3 Bxf3 8. exf3 a4 9. Nd2 Nxe5 10. f4 Nc6 11. Bd3 Qe7+ 12. Kf1
Nf6 13. g3 {1-0 (60) Alapin,S-Marshall,F Monte Carlo 1901}) 4… Nc6 5. Nf3 Bc5
6. a3 {D08: Albin Counter Gambit.} a5 {Prevents b4.} 7. Bf4 Bg4 (7… Nge7 $11)
8. Nbd2 {Hoping for h3. White is slightly better.} f6 ({Black should try} 8…
Nge7 $14) 9. Ne4 Be7 10. exf6 (10. h3 $16 Bxf3 11. exf3 (11. gxf3 fxe5 12. Bg3
Nf6 $11)) 10… Nxf6 $14 {[#]} 11. Qc2 (11. h3 $1 $14 Bxf3 (11… Bh5 12. Neg5)
12. Nxf6+ (12. gxf3 Nxe4 13. fxe4 O-O $15) (12. exf3 O-O $11) 12… Bxf6 13.
exf3 (13. gxf3 d3 $11)) 11… O-O {[%cal Od4d3] Strongly threatening …d3!}
12. Nxf6+ (12. e3 $1 $15) 12… Bxf6 ({Black should play} 12… Rxf6 $17 13.
Qd2 h6) 13. Bd2 (13. O-O-O $1 $11) 13… Qe7 {[%mdl 1024] And now …Bh5 would
win. Black has strong compensation.} 14. h3 $2 (14. O-O-O {was called for.})
14… Bh5 $19 {[%cal Bg4h5,Bh5g6,Bg6e4][%mdl 32]} 15. g4 $2 {[#]} (15. h4 Rad8
16. Qd3) 15… Bg6 {Black is clearly winning.} 16. Qd1 d3 17. e3 Bxb2 18. Bg2
Bxa1 19. Qxa1 Be4 20. Qd1 Qf7 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.98/Black=0.37} 0-1

[/pgn]

His score of 5½/9 gave him a share of 3rd prize, but he was slightly less successful in the Southern Counties Chess Union Tournament in Norwich, where 4½/11 left him well behind Michell, impressive with 10½/11.

We can see the chess administration we know now coming into shape in this period: county organisations affiliated to regional organisations, who were in turn affiliated to the British Chess Federation. It hasn’t changed very much in the last 120 years: some of us have been saying for years that we need a 21st century rather than a 19th century chess administration in this country.

The 1903 SCCU tournament necessitated a trip to Plymouth (the SCCU covered a much wider area than it does today) where he scored a big success. His score of 7/8 gave him first place ahead of George Edward Horton Bellingham, Wilfred Charles Palmer and Michell.

In October 1903 Wainwright resigned his post as President of Guildford Chess Club, as he had left the area. As we’ll see, he moved to Surbiton, just the other side of Kingston from his previous address in Teddington. Perhaps his job had taken him back from Guildford to Kingston, or perhaps he wanted to be nearer London for both work and chess purposes. Surbiton Station, on the main line into Waterloo, provided – and still provides – regular fast services into the capital. It looks very different now than it would have done in Wainwright’s time: the magnificent Art Deco building dates from 1937 and is considered one of the masterpieces of Scottish railway architect James Robb Scott.

He was soon in action against his former club, who were then, and, to the best of my knowledge, are still on friendly terms. Nearly 120 years later, they’re regular opponents in the Surrey Trophy.

Wainwright drew on top board against William Timbrell Pierce, a problemist and endgame study composer who also gives his name to a variation of the Vienna Gambit. Surbiton came out on top, even though retired architect Henry Jones Lanchester failed to turn up. He certainly wouldn’t have been looking after his baby granddaughter Elsa, who would later become a famous film star – and the wife of Charles Laughton: Henry disowned his daughter Edith (Elsa’s mother) and sent her to a lunatic asylum because of her relationship with a working class Irishman named Shamus.

One of the most important events in London chess for many years up to World War 2 was the City of London Championship, which regularly attracted many of the capital’s finest players. Games took place on weekday evenings, so, now living in Surbiton, he’d be able to get home quickly and easily. He took part for the first time in the 1903-04 season, finishing in midfield behind the largely forgotten William Ward, with Michell in second place.

1904 was a momentous year for British Chess: the first British Championship took place. It’s still, to this day, more or less recognisable. The venue chosen was Hastings: perhaps Wainwright was disappointed not to have been one of the 12 players selected for the championship itself, won by the Anglo-American master William Ewart Napier after a play-off with Atkins. There were three equal First Class sections, and he found himself in Section B, where he shared first place with Charles Hugh Sherrard. Other sections included the British Ladies Championship and sections for Second and Third Class players.

At Southport in 1905 he was promoted to the Championship itself where he scored a very respectable 6/11, finishing in 6th place.

Here’s his exciting victory over the tragic and short-lived Hector Shoosmith, the son of a Temperance Lecturer from Brighton.

[pgn]

[Event “British CF-02 Championship”]
[Site “Southport/ Merseyside”]
[Date “1905.08.21”]
[Round “7”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward Sr”]
[Black “Shoosmith, Hector William”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “C77”]
[PlyCount “119”]
[EventDate “1905.08.14”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “11”]
[EventCountry “GBR”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2017”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

{[%evp 9,119,8,-14,-128,-47,-42,-37,-39,-4,-60,-42,-110,-74,-84,0,-4,12,-1,61,
54,71,70,54,-10,3,0,41,22,34,-12,0,-39,58,51,33,-84,-37,-134,48,70,96,17,35,47,
96,53,106,32,91,92,207,175,182,175,260,260,258,67,111,69,113,162,163,167,170,
133,162,197,294,313,303,315,335,293,369,318,225,260,465,403,487,460,451,469,
510,352,484,435,523,524,693,452,730,703,755,515,701,492,1025,948,1014,889,994,
889,753,1005,1176,1103,1210,1123,1607,642]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4.
Ba4 Nf6 {[%cal Bg8f6,Bf6d5,Bd5b6][%mdl 32]} 5. d4 exd4 6. Qe2 {C77: Ruy Lopez:
3…a6 4 Ba4 Nf6, unusual lines.} Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. e5 {Black is slightly
better.} Nd5 $146 ({Predecessor:} 8… Ne8 9. Rd1 b5 10. Bb3 d5 11. c3 Be6 12.
cxd4 Qd7 13. Nc3 b4 14. Na4 Na5 {1-0 (29) Napier,W-Michell,R Hastings/ East
Sussex 1904}) 9. Rd1 (9. Bb3 $5 {[%cal Rb3d5]} Nb6 10. c3 $11) 9… Nb6 10. Bb3
d5 {…f6 is the strong threat.} 11. c3 Bg4 12. cxd4 Qd7 13. Nc3 Rae8 14. h3
Be6 15. Ng5 Bf5 16. a4 (16. f4 $5 {[%cal Rg2g4]}) 16… Na5 $36 {[%mdl 2048]
White is under pressure.} 17. Ba2 h6 (17… f6 $5 {[%cal Rf6g5]} 18. Nf3 Bb4
$11) 18. Nf3 Bb4 19. Bd2 Nc6 20. Bb3 a5 21. Be3 f6 22. Bf4 fxe5 23. Nxe5 Bxc3
$2 ({Black should play} 23… Nxe5 $17 24. dxe5 c6) 24. bxc3 $14 Qe6 {[%cal
Of5h3]} 25. Bh2 {White is more active.} Nxe5 26. dxe5 Qg6 27. Kh1 c6 ({Not}
27… Be4 28. f3 Bf5 29. Bg1 $16) 28. Rd4 Kh8 29. f3 Qe6 30. g4 Bh7 31. f4 c5
32. Rd2 ({Resist} 32. f5 $6 Qc6 33. Rd2 d4+ 34. Qg2 Qxg2+ 35. Kxg2 dxc3 $18)
32… Qc6 {[#] White must now prevent …d4+.} 33. Kg1 $2 (33. f5 $1 $18) 33…
c4 34. Bd1 Be4 35. Qe3 Nd7 {[%cal Og7g5]} 36. Bc2 {Strongly threatening Bxe4.}
Nc5 37. Bxe4 Nxe4 38. Rb2 Nxc3 39. Qxc3 Qc5+ 40. Rf2 d4 41. Qd2 d3 42. Rc1 Rc8
43. Rc3 Qb4 $2 (43… b5) 44. f5 $18 Qxa4 45. e6 Qc6 46. Be5 {White wants to
mate with Qxh6+.} Kh7 47. Rc1 {[%cal Bc3c1,Bc1e1,Be1e3,Be3f3][%mdl 32]} Qc5 48.
Bc3 {White is clearly winning.} b6 49. Re1 Qe7 50. Re3 {And now Re5 would win.}
Rc5 (50… b5 $142 51. Bxa5 Qg5) 51. Ref3 Rb5 52. Kg2 {aiming for Qf4.} Qb7 53.
Qe3 Qd5 (53… Rb3 $142 54. e7 Rg8 55. Bxg7 Rxg7 56. e8=Q Rg5 57. f6 Rbb5 58.
Q8e7+ Qxe7 59. Qxe7+ Kh8) 54. e7 Re8 {[#]} 55. Bxg7 $1 {[%mdl 512]} Kxg7 56.
f6+ Kf7 57. Qxh6 Qg5 58. Qh7+ Ke6 59. f7 Rxe7 60. f8=N+ {Source: Manchester
Guardian, Aug 24, 1905. Weighted Error Value: White=0.43/Black=0.47} (60. Qe4+
$142 Kd7 61. Qb7+ Ke6 62. Rf6+ Ke5 63. Qxe7+ Kd4 64. R6f4+ Qxf4 65. Rxf4+ Kc3
66. Qa3+ Rb3 67. Qc1+ Kb4 68. f8=Q+ Ka4 {[#]} 69. Qfa3+ $3 {[%mdl 512]} Rxa3
70. Qxc4#) 1-0

[/pgn]

In 1906 the British Championship took place in Shrewsbury. Atkins and Michell took the first two places, with Wainwright’s 7/11 giving him a share of third place with Francis Lee, Palmer and Shoosmith. The BCM remarked: The play of … Palmer, Shoosmith, and Wainwright has been specially marked by light and shade. Each lost games through blunders and weak moves, but they have all shared in providing some of the brightest and most interesting chess of the tournament. A comment which could, I suppose, sum up Wainwright’s chess career. His oldest son, George Jnr, took part in one of the Third Class sections but without distinction.

His game against the veteran Blackburne, by now a shadow of his former self, was marked by a finish which would have been worthy of his opponent.

[pgn]

[Event “British CF-03 Championship”]
[Site “Shrewsbury/ Shropshire”]
[Date “1906.08.06”]
[Round “1”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward Sr”]
[Black “Blackburne, Joseph Henry”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “D26”]
[PlyCount “59”]
[EventDate “1906.08.06”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “11”]
[EventCountry “ENG”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2017”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

{[%evp 11,59,3,22,-11,0,-17,-12,-19,-12,-17,58,7,20,-12,12,-4,1,-17,-9,0,-6,
-19,-3,-53,-13,-125,-28,-87,0,-86,56,65,189,165,211,49,110,57,740,725,723,708,
897,882,29995,29996,29996,29997,29997,29998]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 dxc4 4.
e3 Nf6 5. Nf3 a6 6. Bxc4 b5 7. Be2 $146 {D26: Queen’s Gambit Accepted: 4 e3 e6
5 Bxc5 c5 sidelines.} ({Predecessor:} 7. Bb3 Bb7 8. O-O Be7 9. Ne5 O-O 10. Qe2
c5 11. Rd1 Qc7 12. f4 Nc6 13. Nxc6 Bxc6 14. d5 exd5 15. Nxd5 Nxd5 16. Bxd5 Bxd5
17. Rxd5 {0-1 (56) Burn,A-Janowski,D Barmen 1905}) 7… Nbd7 8. O-O Bb7 {
Against e4} 9. a3 {The position is equal.} Bd6 10. Qc2 Qe7 11. b4 {aiming for
e4.} (11. e4 $5 {[%cal Re4e5]} e5 12. dxe5 Nxe5 13. Nd4 $11) 11… e5 12. Bb2
e4 13. Nd2 {[%cal Od4d5]} O-O 14. Rae1 Rfe8 15. f3 exf3 16. Bxf3 Bxf3 17. gxf3
(17. Rxf3 $5 {[%cal Re3e4]} a5 18. bxa5 $11) 17… Nb6 18. Rf2 Qe6 19. Rg2 {
[%cal Od4d5]} Bf8 20. Nce4 Nxe4 21. fxe4 ({Much worse is} 21. Qxe4 Qxe4 22.
Nxe4 Be7 $11) (21. Nxe4 Nd5 $11) 21… f6 22. Rf1 {Threatens to win with d5.} (
{Worse is} 22. Qxc7 Rac8 23. Qg3 Qa2 $11) 22… Kh8 23. Rf5 $2 ({Don’t take}
23. Qxc7 $6 Re7 24. d5 Rxc7 $16) ({White should play} 23. d5 $18 Qd6 24. e5
Rxe5 25. Bxe5 Qxe5 26. e4) 23… Nc4 24. d5 Qb6 {[%mdl 8192]} (24… Nxe3 $14
25. dxe6 Nxc2 26. Rxf6 Kg8) 25. Nxc4 $18 bxc4 26. Qf2 Rxe4 {[#]} 27. Rxf6 $1 {
[%mdl 512]} Qxe3 {[#]} (27… Qxf6 28. Bxf6) 28. Rxf8+ $1 {[%mdl 576] Remove
Defender, Decoy. White mates.} Rxf8 29. Bxg7+ Kg8 30. Be5+ {[%mdl 64] Sources:
Manchester Guardian, 8 Aug 1906; Times Literary Supplement, 14 Sept 1906; BCM
Sept 1906, p364. Discovered Attack. Weighted Error Value: White=0.49/Black=0.
86} 1-0

[/pgn]

As Autumn arrived it was time for the City of London Club Championship, and it was this tournament that provided George Edward Wainwright with perhaps his greatest success. He ran out a clear winner with 14/17, 2½ points ahead of the runner-up, Shoosmith, with many of London’s leading amateurs trailing in his wake. As well as holding the Gastineau Cup for a year, he received the princely sum of £10 and the championship medal.

Weekly Journal (Hartlepool) 05 April 1907

The news even reached the chess players of Hartlepool, who were informed that he holds a very important official position, and that, according to a leading Chess Master, he is a sporting Chess player of the best type.

George Edward Wainwright had now, in his mid forties, reached the climax of his chess career. Rod Edwards, in his 1907 rating list, gives him a rating of 2407, placing him 71st in the world. Although 100 points or more behind Atkins and Burn, he was one of the strongest of a group of talented English amateurs rated between about 2300 and 2400, all of whom are of interest for both their lives and their games.

Wainwright didn’t have far to travel for the 1907 British Championship in London, where his 6½/11 was enough for a tie for second place with Blackburne, Michell and EG Sergeant behind Atkins. Another outstanding result: press reports remarked on his vivacious and enterprising style.

Here’s how he dispatched Blake.

[pgn]

[Event “British CF-04 Championship”]
[Site “London/Crystal Palace”]
[Date “1907.08.13”]
[Round “2”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward Sr”]
[Black “Blake, Joseph Henry”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “D05”]
[PlyCount “73”]
[EventDate “1907.08.12”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “11”]
[EventCountry “GBR”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2017”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

{[%evp 13,73,19,20,17,19,6,75,57,93,93,109,101,119,24,30,1,6,-10,0,0,3,-25,0,0,
108,90,277,247,312,75,305,313,472,316,447,456,700,700,690,684,679,684,669,630,
630,405,609,623,634,579,647,648,853,844,900,883,29992,29993,29993,29994,29994,
29995]} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 e6 3. e3 c5 4. Be2 Nf6 5. O-O Bd6 6. dxc5 $146 ({
Predecessor:} 6. c4 O-O 7. Nc3 Nc6 8. a3 Ne4 9. dxc5 Nxc3 10. bxc3 Bxc5 11.
cxd5 exd5 12. h3 Bf5 13. Qb3 Rb8 14. Bb2 Be4 15. c4 Bxf3 16. Bxf3 dxc4 17. Qxc4
Qe7 18. Qc3 f6 19. Rac1 Bd6 {1-0 (37) Bonnerjee,M-Cochrane,J Calcutta 1851})
6… Bxc5 7. a3 O-O 8. b4 {D05: Colle System with …e6.} Bd6 9. c4 b6 10. cxd5
{White is better.} exd5 11. Bb2 Bb7 12. Nc3 a6 {Against Nb5} 13. Kh1 Nbd7 {
[%cal Bb8d7,Bd7f8,Bf8g6][%mdl 32]} 14. Qd4 Re8 15. Rad1 Rc8 16. Qh4 Nf8 17. Nd4
Ng6 18. Qh3 Bb8 19. f4 {White is more active. White leaves nothing to chance
now.} Qe7 $2 (19… Bd6 $16 {might work better.}) 20. Nf5 $18 Qe6 {[%cal Od5d4]
} 21. Bf3 $2 (21. Bd3 $1 $18 {Hoping for Ne2.} Ne4 22. Nh6+ $1 gxh6 23. f5 $1
Nf2+ 24. Rxf2 Qxe3 25. Rf3) 21… Rc4 $2 (21… Ne7 $16 22. Nxe7+ Qxe7) 22. Ne2
{[%cal Bc3e2,Be2d4,Bd4f5][%mdl 32]} b5 (22… Bc8 {was worth a try.}) 23. Ned4
Qb6 {[#]} 24. Nxg7 $1 Rxe3 (24… Kxg7 $142 25. Nf5+ Kh8 26. Bxd5 (26. Qh6 Rg8
$18) 26… Bxd5) 25. Ngf5 Bxf4 26. Nxe3 Bxe3 27. Nf5 Bg5 28. Rde1 Kf8 29. Be2
Rf4 (29… Nf4 $142 30. Qb3 Nxe2) 30. Bd3 Bc8 31. Rxf4 Nxf4 32. Qg3 Nxd3 33.
Bd4 {[%cal Og3g5]} (33. Qxg5 {gets mated.} Nf2+ 34. Kg1 Nh3+ 35. Kh1 {[#]} Qg1+
$3 {[%mdl 512]} 36. Rxg1 Nf2#) (33. Qxd3 Qf2 34. Qe2 Qxf5 $17) 33… Qc6 {[#]}
34. Qxg5 $1 {[%csl Gf5][%cal Rg5g7]} Bxf5 (34… Nxe1 35. Bxf6) 35. Qh6+ {
White mates.} ({Weaker is} 35. Qxf5 Nxe1 36. Bxf6 Qc4 $11) 35… Kg8 {[#]} 36.
Bxf6 $1 {[%csl Gf6][%cal Rh6g7]} Nf2+ 37. Kg1 {Sources: The Field, 17 Aug 1907;
Falkirk Herald, Sept 4, 1907; Times Literary Supplement, 6 Sept 1907; BCM,
Sept 1907, p422. Weighted Error Value: White=0.31/Black=0.86} 1-0

[/pgn]

In the 1907-08 City of London Championship he couldn’t quite repeat his success of the previous year, finishing a close third behind Thomas Francis Lawrence (you’ll certainly meet him in a future Minor Piece) and William Ward. He didn’t play in the 1908 British Championship, but continued to compete regularly in club and county matches for both Surrey (qualified by residence) and Yorkshire (qualified by birth). He had also returned to playing in the Anglo-American cable matches.

He didn’t play at the British Championships at Tunbridge Wells in 1908, but he was back again at Scarborough the following year, finishing in midfield

He will be somewhere in this rather splendid group photograph.

In this game he again demonstrated his attacking skills, sacrificing a knight to defeat Liverpool’s Harry Holmes, an aural and ophthalmic surgeon.

[pgn]

[Event “British CF-06 Championship”]
[Site “Scarborough/ North Yorkshire”]
[Date “1909.08.19”]
[Round “10”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward Sr”]
[Black “Holmes, Harry”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “C45”]
[PlyCount “87”]
[EventDate “1909.08.09”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “11”]
[EventCountry “ENG”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2006”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2005.11.24”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2005.11.24”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

{[%evp 13,87,-37,-7,-4,-16,-4,-9,-21,7,0,98,91,120,73,98,75,134,67,84,77,472,
458,461,443,527,534,523,548,538,386,394,345,29994,700,865,853,821,828,814,669,
653,677,677,676,661,669,669,669,662,637,662,662,665,640,662,630,638,631,1195,
1172,769,615,596,493,574,561,29985,700,29986,29981,29982,29979,29978,29979,
29979,6523]} 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 exd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 {[%cal Bg8f6,Bf6d7,
Bd7c5,Bc5d3][%mdl 32]} 5. Nxc6 bxc6 6. Bd3 d5 7. Qe2 Be7 ({But not} 7… Nxe4
8. f3 $16) 8. e5 {C45: Scotch Game.} Nd7 9. O-O Nc5 10. f4 {The position is
equal.} Nxd3 11. cxd3 $146 ({Predecessor:} 11. Qxd3 g6 12. Nc3 Bf5 13. Qe2 Qd7
14. Na4 c5 15. b3 Qc6 16. Bb2 O-O 17. Rae1 {1-0 (55) Mason,J-Brody,M Paris 1900
}) 11… Bc5+ 12. Be3 d4 13. Bc1 {[%cal Be3c1,Bc1d2,Bd2g5,Bg5f6][%mdl 32] Nd2
is the strong threat.} O-O 14. Nd2 Re8 15. Ne4 Bf8 16. Bd2 {White is more
active.} Be6 $2 {[%mdl 8192] Loses the game.} (16… Bf5 $16) 17. f5 $18 Bd5 {
[#]} 18. Bg5 $1 Qd7 {[#]} 19. Nf6+ $1 {[%mdl 512]} gxf6 20. Bxf6 h6 21. Qg4+
Kh7 22. Rae1 {[%cal Ba1e1,Be1e4,Be4g4][%mdl 32]} (22. e6 Bxe6 23. Rf3 (23. fxe6
Qxe6 24. Rf5 Qe3+ 25. Kh1 Qe1+ 26. Rf1 Qe6 $16) 23… Bxf5 24. Rxf5 Rab8 $16)
22… Bxa2 (22… Reb8 $18) 23. e6 (23. Rf3 $142 Rxe5 24. Rxe5 Qxf5 25. Qxf5+
Kg8 26. Rg3+ Bg7 27. Qg4 Kh8 28. Qxg7#) 23… Bxe6 24. fxe6 fxe6 25. Qe4+ Kg8
26. Qg6+ Bg7 27. Re4 {Black must now prevent Rxd4.} ({Weaker is} 27. Bxg7 Qxg7
28. Rxe6 Qxg6 29. Rxg6+ Kh7 30. Rxc6 Rab8 $16) 27… Rf8 28. Rg4 Rf7 29. Qxh6 {
Bxg7 would kill now.} Raf8 30. Rf3 {[%cal Of3g3] White threatens Rfg3! and
mate.} Rxf6 31. Rxf6 Rxf6 32. Qxf6 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KQR-KQB} e5 33. Qg6 c5
34. Rg3 Qe7 35. h4 {[%cal Bh2h4,Bh4h5,Bh5h6][%mdl 32]} c4 36. h5 {And now h6
would win.} cxd3 37. Qxd3 {Strongly threatening h6.} Kh8 38. Qe4 c5 39. Rg6 {
Hoping for h6.} a5 40. Rc6 (40. h6 $142 Bf6 41. Qf5 Bh4 42. g3 Bg5 43. Rxg5 e4
44. Qc8+ Qe8 45. Qxe8+ Kh7 46. Qg8+ Kxh6 47. Qg7#) 40… Kg8 41. h6 {White
mates.} Bf8 42. Qg6+ Kh8 43. Rc8 c4 44. Re8 {Source: BCM, Sept 1909, p408.
Weighted Error Value: White=0.63/Black=1.02} (44. h7 $142 Qg7 45. Qf5 c3 46.
Rxf8+ Qxf8 47. Qxf8+ Kxh7 48. bxc3 Kg6 49. c4) 1-0

[/pgn]

He had previously finished 3rd in the 1908-09 City of London Chess Club Championship, and, coincidentally, the 1909-10 event saw the same three players taking the first three places: Ward, Blake and Wainwright.

This game, against the problemist Percy Healey, was described by Frederick Winter Markwick, in the Essex Times, as one of the prettiest games I have had the pleasure of watching.

[pgn]

[Event “City of London Championship”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1910.??.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Healey, Percy Ewen”]
[Black “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “D08”]
[PlyCount “58”]

{[%evp 10,58,125,34,93,79,165,83,118,56,106,-18,-1,-73,0,-82,99,112,94,-24,-47,
-33,102,50,81,75,71,51,74,60,108,47,60,0,0,-193,-182,-739,-730,-717,-707,-719,
-746,-1081,-1058,-29992,-29993,-29995,-29996,-29996,-29997]} 1. d4 d5 2. c4 e5
3. dxe5 d4 4. a3 Nc6 5. Nf3 Bg4 6. Bf4 {[#]} (6. g3 $16) 6… Qd7 $146 {
D08: Albin Counter Gambit.} (6… Nge7 $14) ({Predecessor:} 6… Nge7 7. Nbd2
Ng6 8. Bg3 a5 9. h3 Bxf3 10. Nxf3 Bc5 11. Qd3 O-O 12. h4 Qe7 13. Qf5 f6 14.
exf6 Rxf6 {1-0 (34) Pillsbury,H-Mieses,J Monte Carlo 1902}) 7. Nbd2 O-O-O (7…
Nge7 $16 {was called for.}) 8. Qa4 (8. h3 $18 Bxf3 9. Nxf3) 8… Qf5 {White is
better.} 9. Bg3 (9. g3 $1 $16) 9… f6 10. exf6 ({White should try} 10. h3 $16
Bxf3 11. gxf3 (11. Nxf3 fxe5 12. b4 e4 $14) (11. exf3 Kb8 $11)) 10… Nxf6 $11
{With the idea …Bd6.} 11. h3 (11. b4 $1 $11) 11… Bh5 (11… Bxf3 $17 12.
gxf3 (12. Nxf3 Ne4 $17) 12… Bd6) 12. Bh2 (12. b4 $1 $11) 12… Qe6 $2 {
Black is much more active. White has bad knights.} (12… Bxf3 $17 {and life
is bright.} 13. gxf3 (13. Nxf3 Bd6 $15) 13… Bd6) 13. g4 $1 $16 Be8 14. Ng5 (
14. Bg2 $1 $16) 14… Qe7 $1 $11 15. Bg2 h6 {[#]} (15… Kb8 $15 {keeps the
upper hand.} 16. Qb3 (16. Nge4 d3 $15) 16… Nxg4 17. hxg4 Qxg5) 16. Nge4 (16.
Ngf3 $1 $16) 16… Nxe4 17. Bxe4 Kb8 18. Qb3 g5 19. O-O-O Bg7 20. Bd5 ({
Better is} 20. f4 $16) 20… Rf8 $14 21. Nf3 ({White should play} 21. Bg3 $14)
21… Qc5 $11 {And now …Rxd5 would win.} (21… Qxe2 $2 22. Rhe1 Qxf2 {[#]}
23. Re7 $3 {[%mdl 512]} (23. Rxe8 Rdxe8 24. Bxc6 Qe3+ 25. Qxe3 Rxe3 $17) 23…
Rxd5 24. Rxc7 $18) 22. Kb1 $2 (22. Qc2 $11 {and White stays safe.}) 22… Bg6+
$19 23. Ka2 $2 {[#]} (23. Ka1 Na5 24. Qb4) 23… Rxd5 $1 {[%mdl 512]} 24. cxd5
{[#]} Bc2 $1 25. Qxc2 Qxc2 26. dxc6 {[#]} Rxf3 $1 {[%mdl 576] Deflection} 27.
exf3 (27. Rd3 Rxf2) 27… d3 {[%csl Gg7][%cal Rc2b2] Black mates.} 28. Rb1 Qc4+
29. Ka1 Qb3 {Weighted Error Value: White=1.10/Black=0.34} 0-1

[/pgn]

In March 1910 he represented the City of London Chess Club against a visiting team from the Dutch Chess Federation, drawing his game on board 3 against Abraham Speijer, The Dutch team fielded the brothers Arnold and Dirk van Foreest on boards 1 and 7. Arnold is the great great grandfather of GMs Jorden and Lucas van Foreest and their sister Machteld.

The 1910 British Championships took place in Oxford, where he again performed well, sharing 4th place on 6½/11, and beating both Blackburne and the up and coming Fred Dewhirst Yates, who tied for second place behind Atkins.

Here’s how Wainwright beat his fellow Yorkshireman. I guess they were half way towards a comedy sketch!

[pgn]

[Event “British CF-07 Championship”]
[Site “Oxford/ Oxfordshire”]
[Date “1910.08.19”]
[Round “5”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Black “Yates, Fred Dewhirst”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “D37”]
[PlyCount “119”]
[EventDate “1910.08.15”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “11”]
[EventCountry “ENG”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2017”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2016.10.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

{[%evp 12,119,-3,-18,8,0,38,0,4,-23,39,-8,-8,-37,37,-14,48,40,73,51,66,16,48,
61,225,210,297,295,306,281,484,363,512,500,494,505,588,619,720,692,853,520,525,
504,507,504,517,512,523,464,453,365,346,298,469,477,476,474,538,529,584,533,
530,389,448,369,474,468,479,438,415,276,287,199,353,96,510,507,450,470,776,730,
880,880,869,596,916,917,915,900,898,895,818,746,814,809,738,685,730,678,683,
599,700,574,1020,976,1202,1202,7226,7226]} 1. d4 d5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. e3 e6 4. c4
Be7 5. Nc3 O-O 6. Qc2 b6 7. b3 $146 ({Predecessor:} 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 Bb7 9.
e4 Nbd7 10. O-O c5 11. Bd3 h6 12. Rd1 Rc8 13. Qe2 cxd4 14. Nxd4 Nc5 {1-0 (72)
Reti,R-Exner,G Szekesfehervar 1907}) 7… Bb7 {D37: Queen’s Gambit Declined: 5
Bf4.} 8. Bb2 Nbd7 9. Be2 Rc8 {The position is equal.} 10. O-O {[%cal Bh1f1,
Bf1d1,Bd1d2,Bd2d4,Bd4c4][%mdl 32]} Ne4 11. Ne5 Nxc3 12. Qxc3 Nf6 13. Bf3 c5 (
13… Ne4 $5 {[%cal Re4c3]} 14. Qc2 Ng5 $11) 14. dxc5 bxc5 15. Rfd1 {White is
more active.} Qc7 16. Rd2 Rfd8 17. Rad1 d4 {White stays focused until the end.}
18. exd4 Bxf3 19. Qxf3 {Hoping for d5.} cxd4 {[#]} 20. Rxd4 $1 Bd6 (20… Rxd4
21. Bxd4) 21. Qe2 Nd5 22. cxd5 Bxe5 {[#]} 23. Rc4 Bxh2+ 24. Kh1 Qb8 25. Rxc8
Rxc8 26. g3 Bxg3 27. Rg1 ({Weaker is} 27. fxg3 Qxg3 28. dxe6 Qh3+ 29. Kg1 fxe6
$18) 27… Qd6 28. Rxg3 Qxd5+ 29. Kh2 g6 30. Rd3 Qf5 {game to this point given
in Manchester Guardian, 20 Aug 1910} 31. Qd2 {Threatening mate with Rd8+.} e5
32. Kg2 Kg7 33. Qe3 {[%csl LRa7,LRe5]} Re8 34. Rd5 f6 35. Qxa7+ Kh6 {aiming
for …Qe4+.} 36. Qe3+ Kg7 37. Qd2 Re7 38. Ba3 Rc7 39. Bc5 Qg4+ 40. Kf1 Qh3+
41. Ke1 g5 42. Be3 {Qd3 is the strong threat.} h5 43. b4 $2 (43. Rd6 $18 {
has better winning chances.}) 43… Qf5 {[%mdl 8192]} (43… h4 $16 {is a
better chance.}) 44. Qd3 $18 {White is clearly winning.} Qg4 45. b5 {[%cal
Bb4b5,Bb5b6][%mdl 32]} e4 (45… h4 $142 46. Qd1 Rc4 47. Rd7+ Kg6 48. Qd3+ Qe4
49. Qxe4+ Rxe4) 46. Qd1 Qe6 47. b6 Rb7 48. Qd4 Kg6 49. Rd6 Qf5 50. Qd5 Qxd5 51.
Rxd5 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KRB-KR} h4 52. Kf1 f5 53. Kg2 f4 54. Bd4 g4 55. Rd6+
Kf5 56. Rd8 h3+ 57. Kh2 Rh7 {[%cal Oe4e3]} 58. Rf8+ Kg5 59. Rg8+ Kf5 60. Rg7 {
Source: The Times, 22 Aug 1910. Weighted Error Value: White=0.49/Black=0.66}
1-0

[/pgn]

Wainwright wasn’t quite so successful in the 1910-11 edition of the City of London Club Championship, but, now approaching his half century, a slight decline was only to be expected.

Meanwhile, on 2 April 1911 it was time for the census enumerator to call. Let’s see who was at home.

There he was, at 1 St Andrew’s Square, Surbiton, very convenient for the station and trains to London. Very nice it looks, too. George Edward Wainwright and his family seemed to be doing very well for themselves.

He’s described, rather modestly, as a Principal Clerk working for the Local Government Board. His wife is also at home, as are their two middle children. Philip is a business pupil for a photographic requisites supply company, while Constance has no occupation listed. They also have a visitor, 19-year-old Julie Ross from Glasgow, as well as a cook and a housemaid.

George Jnr was following in his father’s footsteps in more ways than one. He had moved to his father’s home town of Ilkley, where he was also working for the Local Government Board, as a district auditor. 16-year-old David, though, had chosen a different career path: he was a naval cadet undergoing officer training in Dartmouth.

Here, having followed George Edward Wainwright through his forties, the busiest decade of his chess career, is a good place to pause.

Come back soon for the third and final episode of the chess career of the man who, although not a member for long, was by far the strongest player in the first Twickenham Chess Club. Our friends at Surbiton can also claim him as one of their finest players.

Ackowledgements:

ancestry.co.uk

findmypast.co.uk

EDOChess – GE Wainwright

Yorkshire Chess History: GE Wainwright

Britbase

Game analysis generated by ChessBase using Stockfish 14.

2022, Books, History, Remembering, Reviews, Richard James, Russell Enterprises

The Life and Games of Vasily Smyslov Volume I: The Early Years 1921-1948

March 3, 2022 Richard James Leave a comment

From the publishers blurb:

“Vasily Smyslov, the seventh world champion, had a long and illustrious chess career. He played close to 3,000 tournament games over seven decades, from the time of Lasker and Capablanca to the days of Anand and Carlsen. From 1948 to 1958, Smyslov participated in four world championships, becoming world champion in 1957.

Smyslov continued playing at the highest level for many years and made a stunning comeback in the early 1980s, making it to the finals of the candidates’ cycle. Only the indomitable energy of 20-year-old Garry Kasparov stopped Smyslov from qualifying for another world championship match at the ripe old age of 63!

In this first volume of a multi-volume set, Russian FIDE master Andrey Terekhov traces the development of young Vasily from his formative years and becoming the youngest grandmaster in the Soviet Union to finishing second in the world championship match tournament. With access to rare Soviet-era archival material and invaluable family archives, the author complements his account of Smyslov’s growth into an elite player with dozens of fascinating photographs, many never seen before, as well as 49 deeply annotated games. German grandmaster Karsten Müller’s special look at Smyslov’s endgames rounds out this fascinating first volume.”

I’ve always considered Vasily Smyslov (1921-2010) one of the more underrated world champions. I enjoy the combination of logic and harmony in his games along with his endgame expertise, so I was looking forward to reading this book.

Terekhov suggests in his introduction that Smyslov is arguably the least known of all world chess champions.

Perhaps the primary reason for Smyslov’s relative obscurity was his character. Smyslov was a reserved and deeply private man who did not strive for the spotlight.

And again…

Another factor was Smyslov’s playing style, which was classical and logical, but not necessarily flashy. To make a comparison, both Smyslov and Tal were world champions for only one year, but Tal won millions of fans for his dashing style and remains an iconic figure to this day, whereas Smyslov’s popularity largely waned after the period when he held the championship.

Up to now there have been few books, apart from those written by Smyslov himself, about his games, and they have limitations, partly because they were written in the pre-computer age and partly because they lacked biographical detail.

A few years ago, I decided to write a book that would fill in these blanks. Initially, it was conceived as a traditional best games collection, interspersed with a few biographical details. However, it quickly became apparent that Smyslov’s long chess career cannot be covered in a single volume. I amassed an extensive library of books, tournament bulletins and magazines which cover Smyslov’s chess career from the 1930s onwards. I also kept unearthing new material, including Smyslov’s manuscripts and letters.

What we have here, then, is the first volume of a hugely ambitious project, a combination of biography and best games collection, taking Smyslov’s career from his first competitive games in 1935 through to the 1948 World Championship Match-Tournament. A second volume will take the story up to 1957, when he became world champion, and further volumes will cover the remainder of his career, up to his last tournament games in the 21st century and the endgame studies he composed towards the end of his life.

What you don’t get is Smyslov’s complete games: you’ll need to look elsewhere if you want them.

The book comprises ten chapters, each covering a different part of Smyslov’s career. Each chapter in turn is divided into biography and games.

There are 49 complete games in this volume, all annotated in considerable depth. Terekhov has used an impressive range of sources: Smyslov’s own annotations, Soviet chess magazines and other contemporary sources, later commentators such as Kasparov, and skilfully combined these with computer analysis using today’s most powerful engines. Many annotators make the mistake of going overboard with reams of computer-generated variations, but Terekhov avoids this pitfall. While not everyone wants this sort of detail, the annotations in this book are some of the best I’ve read. A nice touch is that you also get brief biographical notes on his opponents.

The scope of the biographical sections, too, is impressive. There’s a lot of fascinating material from Soviet sources with which most readers will be unfamiliar. You’ll learn a lot from this, not just about Smyslov’s life, but also, in general, about how chess in the Soviet Union was promoted and organised in the 1930s and 1940s. You’ll expect full reports of the tournaments Smyslov played in, along with cross-tables. They’re all there, along with much more chess: many snapshots from games, some endgame studies, all illustrated with a profusion of photographs, many of which will be new to most readers. There’s plenty there to keep every chess lover happy.

Let’s look at a couple of the snapshots.

[fen]r1r3k1/1pq1ppbp/3p1np1/1B1Pn3/1QP5/pP2BP2/P5PP/1KNRR3 b – – 0 19[/fen]

Here’s a remarkable position from the game Panov – Smyslov 12th USSR Championship 1940 demonstrating his defensive skills.

Smyslov continued with the extraordinary 19… Nc6!!?.

This desperate move evokes the memories of Spassky’s famous Nb8-c6 in a strategically lost position against Averbakh (Leningrad 1956), but Smyslov came up with the idea 16 years earlier!

20. dxc6 bxc6 21. Ba4 Rcb8 22. Qxa3

At first glance, White is completely winning, as he is a bishop up and Black does not even have a single pawn to show for it. However, even the engine agrees that Black has some initiative in exchange for the piece, although far from full compensation.

Smyslov eventually won this game after Panov blundered on move 41. If you buy the book you’ll see for yourself what happened.

In the 1941 USSR Absolute Championship, Smyslov found himself a pawn down in a minor piece ending against Lilienthal.

At some point, Smyslov took a brilliant, although practically risky decision to sacrifice both of his pieces for the remaining Black pawns. The game transposed to the following rare endgame, which was studied in great detail by the Russian composer Alexey Troitsky:

[fen]8/7n/7P/8/3n4/8/3k1K2/8 w – – 0 84[/fen]

This position was evaluated by Troitsky as a draw and modern tablebases confirm this assessment. However, defending this position in practice is no fun, as a single bad move can lead to a forced mate. Smyslov managed to hold it and the game was agreed drawn on the 125th(!) move.

But there’s much more than chess in the biographical sections. The game was so popular in the Soviet Union that Smyslov received fanmail from young female admirers, some of which have survived. Here’s Klara, writing to her hero in 1941. Can you send me a photo of yourself, even if a tiny little one, but with your signature? If you cannot give it to me, please send it to me so I could take a look – I will return it. If you only knew how I want to see you, hear you talk – but alas – these are just dreams which cannot come to life for at least another year…

Most poignantly, we have a letter Smyslov wrote to the mother of his friend Bazya Dzagurov in 1942, asking for news of her son, who had been serving in the war. How are you doing? Do you have anyone left by your side? Is there any information about Bazya? I heard that you have not received letters from him for a long time, but I don’t know anything for certain. Please write to me about your life and let me know something about your son and my friend. Tragically, Dzaghurov had lost his life several months earlier.

Right at the end of the book there are a few bonuses. Chapter 11 introduces us to Smyslov’s wife Nadezhda Andreevna, Appendix A covers the Smyslov System in the Grünfeld Defence, and Appendix B, contributed by GM Karsten Müller, tells us more about Smyslov’s Endgames.

Here are a couple of short game which you’ll find annotated in the book. Click on any move for a pop-up board.

Although Smyslov’s fame rests mainly on his positional and endgame skills, he could still play aggressively when the opportunity arose, and some of his earlier games featured here are quite complex.

In this game (Moscow Championship 1939) he scored a quick attacking victory against the now centenarian Averbakh.

[pgn]

[Event “Moscow-ch19”]
[Site “Moscow”]
[Date “1939.??.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Averbakh, Yuri L”]
[Black “Smyslov, Vassily V”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “A15”]
[PlyCount “48”]
[EventDate “1939.??.??”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “13”]
[EventCountry “URS”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2010”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2010.11.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2010.11.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

{[%evp 0,48,19,29,23,-8,-17,-23,9,20,26,1,4,-46,-21,-14,-22,-16,-17,-2,2,-19,
-12,-59,-54,-45,-33,-33,-33,-33,25,-93,23,-89,-28,-156,-91,-98,-52,-137,-148,
-175,-260,-274,-271,-277,-276,-467,-412,-543,-541]} 1. Nf3 d5 2. b3 Nf6 3. Bb2
g6 4. c4 Bg7 5. cxd5 O-O 6. g3 Qxd5 7. Bg2 Qh5 8. O-O Bh3 9. d4 Nc6 10. Qc2
Rad8 11. Rd1 Ng4 12. Bh1 e5 13. d5 Ne7 14. Nc3 f5 15. Ba3 Rf7 16. Rab1 e4 17.
Nd4 f4 18. Nxe4 Bg2 19. h4 Bxh1 20. Kxh1 fxg3 21. fxg3 Ne3 22. Qxc7 Qxd5
23. Nf3 Nxd1 24. Bxe7 Re8 0-1

[/pgn]

Here’s a highly thematic game from the 1945 USSR Championship.

[pgn]

[Event “URS-ch14 Final”]
[Site “Moscow”]
[Date “1945.??.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Smyslov, Vassily V”]
[Black “Rudakovsky, Iosif”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “B83”]
[PlyCount “55”]
[EventDate “1945.06.01”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “18”]
[EventCountry “URS”]
[SourceTitle “URS-ch”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “1999.07.01”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

{[%evp 0,55,25,16,71,48,60,52,55,31,29,37,81,43,74,35,29,33,44,52,67,39,42,19,
60,25,53,18,18,-3,3,12,17,19,11,13,94,93,116,118,135,125,224,133,224,241,237,
331,331,388,453,670,724,730,735,745,799,799]} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 e6 3. d4 cxd4 4.
Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 d6 6. Be2 Be7 7. O-O O-O 8. Be3 Nc6 9. f4 Qc7 10. Qe1 Nxd4 11.
Bxd4 e5 12. Be3 Be6 13. f5 Bc4 14. Bxc4 Qxc4 15. Bg5 Rfe8 16. Bxf6 Bxf6 17. Nd5
Bd8 18. c3 b5 19. b3 Qc5+ 20. Kh1 Rc8 21. Rf3 Kh8 22. f6 gxf6 23. Qh4 Rg8 24.
Nxf6 Rg7 25. Rg3 Bxf6 26. Qxf6 Rcg8 27. Rd1 d5 28. Rxg7 1-0

[/pgn]

I’ve said before that we’re living in a golden age of chess literature. There are several reasons for this, two of which are relevant to this book. Firstly, we have much greater access to archive material than ever before, and, secondly, powerful modern engines ensure accurate analysis. This is an outstanding and important work which should be on the shelves of anyone with any interest at all in chess history. Excellent writing, painstaking research and exemplary annotations, along with first class production values (barring the inevitable one or two typos and errors): the book is an attractive and sturdy hardback which will look good in any library.

Congratulations are due to Andrey Terekhov, and also to Russell Enterprises. Very highly recommended. I can’t wait to read the next volume in the series.

Richard James, Twickenham 3rd March 2022

Book Details :

Hardcover : 536 pages
Publisher: Russell Enterprises (1 December 2020)
Language: English
ISBN-10:194985924X
ISBN-13:978-1949859249
Product Dimensions: 15.24 x 2.54 x 22.86 cm

Official web site of Russell Enterprises

2022, Birthday, History

Yuri Averbakh: 100 Not Out!

February 8, 2022 John Upham Leave a comment

He was born into a world that flowed along very differently from our own. Kaluga was his city, but don’t reach for that atlas, just follow the River Oka setting your clock to a time when, as Trotsky was to write, Lenin, despite the efforts of his medics, was a hopelessly sick man. Averbakh bore some little German and Jewish blood, grew to be a tall and scholarly man (headmasterly?) but played chess under the banner of hammer and sickle.

Yury (Yuri) Lvovich Averbakh was born one hundred years ago today and, as such, is the oldest holder of the International Grandmaster title ever, that chess title formalised after World War II. Already – he got the title of national master in 1943 – he was looking at chess not so much as life substitute, as a Tal or Fischer might have done, but more as a career from which possibilities would spring, in the manner (say) of his contemporary, Smyslov. He played in Soviet Championships 1948-70, winning the title in Kiev in 1954 and tying for first place at Leningrad, 1956.

[pgn]
[Event “URS-ch21 Final”]
[Site “Kiev”]
[Date “1954.01.17”]
[Round “7”]
[White “Geller, Efim P”]
[Black “Averbakh, Yuri L”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “A05”]
[Annotator “James Pratt”]
[PlyCount “92”]
[EventDate “1954.01.07”]
[EventType “tourn”]
[EventRounds “19”]
[EventCountry “URS”]
[SourceTitle “URS-ch”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “1999.07.01”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “1999.07.01”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

{[%evp 0,92,19,38,40,41,51,17,38,-2,-15,4,5,19,19,-27,-11,-22,-9,0,42,47,37,33,
57,33,22,76,55,17,21,34,33,21,28,70,24,15,44,24,17,31,58,36,36,-9,-15,-36,-43,
-11,-18,-18,-2,-48,-59,-75,-62,-283,-82,-100,-99,-127,-118,-160,-128,-136,-71,
-136,-93,-178,-169,-202,-201,-213,-211,-246,-250,-230,-236,-261,-367,-371,-454,
-473,-139,-235,-404,-436,-427,-546,-611,-822,-927,-1045,-1107]} {The young
Geller, as well versed in book lines as any, steers surprisingly away from
open, theoretical lines as early as move 3. He may later have had cause to
regret. I take my cue from that charming book, A Gnat May Drink by Jonathan
Hinton.} 1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d3 g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nf6 7. Nbd2
O-O 8. a4 Bd7 9. Nc4 {[#]} d5 $5 $146 ({Relevant:} 9… Qc8 10. Re1 Ng4 11. c3
h6 12. Qe2 Kh7 13. Nfd2 f5 14. f4 fxe4 15. dxe4 Nf6 16. Nf3 Bg4 17. Ne3 Bh3 18.
Nh4 Bxg2 19. Qxg2 e6 20. Qc2 Ne7 21. Nc4 Ne8 22. Bd2 Qc6 23. Re2 Rd8 24. Rae1
b5 25. axb5 Qxb5 26. Ne3 Rb8 27. Bc1 Bf6 28. Nf3 c4 29. Kg2 Bg7 30. h4 Kg8 31.
Rd1 Rc8 32. e5 dxe5 33. Qe4 Rc5 34. fxe5 Qc6 35. Nc2 Qxe4 36. Rxe4 Nc6 37. Ne3
Na5 38. Nd2 Nc7 39. Nexc4 {Petrosian,T-Stahlberg,G Zuerich 1953 1-0 (67)}) 10.
exd5 Nxd5 11. Re1 Qc7 12. Ng5 Nb6 13. Ne3 a5 14. h4 h6 15. Ne4 Nd4 16. h5 $5 (
16. c3) 16… g5 17. c3 Nf5 18. Qb3 Nd6 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. Qxd5 Nxe4 21. Qxe4
Rab8 22. Qd5 e6 23. Qa2 Bc6 24. Qc4 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Qc6+ 26. Qe4 {[#]} Rfd8 $1
27. Be3 Rd5 $1 28. Rad1 $2 Rbd8 $2 (28… f5 $19 29. Qf3 g4 30. Qe2 f4 31. Qxg4
fxe3 32. Rxe3 Rxd3+ 33. Kh2 Rxe3 34. fxe3 Rf8 $19) 29. Kf1 (29. c4) 29… c4
30. d4 Qxa4 31. g4 Qd7 32. Ra1 a4 33. Re2 b5 34. Rae1 {[#]} b4 $1 35. f4 gxf4
$19 36. Bxf4 a3 $1 37. Rg2 Qe7 $1 38. Qe3 Qf6 39. Kg1 axb2 40. g5 hxg5 41. Be5
Rxe5 42. dxe5 {[#]} Qxe5 $1 43. Qxe5 Bxe5 44. Rxg5+ Kh7 45. Rgxe5 bxc3 46. Rb5
{[#]} Rd1 $3 {Time for a diagram’ as old Chernev enjoyed saying} 0-1
[/pgn]

5th= in the 1952 Interzonal and, a year later, just failed to finish on 50% in the celebrated Candidates of ’53. He drew a training match with Botvinnik himself in 1957. International success was obviously his too. Averbakh became known for his endgame books but he wrote on all aspects of the game, maybe twenty books flowing from his pen. Wade called him ‘prodding organiser’ and there is no doubt he touched so many areas of the game, as author, arbiter, diplomat, much in the manner of Euwe.

Though he was largely retired, here is a game to enjoy from his last playing years:

[pgn]
[Event “URS-chT Cup 11th 1st league”]
[Site “Jurmala”]
[Date “1980.05.24”]
[Round “2.2”]
[White “Bagirov, Vladimir”]
[Black “Averbakh, Yuri L”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “E47”]
[WhiteElo “2560”]
[BlackElo “2490”]
[Annotator “James Pratt”]
[PlyCount “49”]
[EventDate “1980.05.23”]
[EventType “team-tourn”]
[EventRounds “6”]
[EventCountry “LAT”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2010”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2010.11.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2010.11.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]
[WhiteTeam “Daugava”]
[BlackTeam “Zenit”]
[WhiteTeamCountry “URS”]
[BlackTeamCountry “URS”]
{[%evp 0,49,19,31,25,-16,-12,-6,4,22,30,34,33,20,24,-40,23,6,17,15,15,-10,4,-4,
49,-16,-22,-48,97,-8,-16,-42,-46,-46,-46,-12,-78,-146,-59,-97,-97,-99,-99,-91,
-85,-112,-88,-116,-74,-102,-188,-39]} 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e3 O-O
5. Bd3 c5 6. d5 $6 {?! According to Larsen} b5 7. dxe6 {[#]} bxc4 $146 {
(Deviating from Games 6 and 17 of the Karpov-Korchnoi WC Match, 1978)} ({
Relevant:} 7… fxe6 8. cxb5 a6 9. Nge2 d5 10. O-O e5 11. a3 axb5 12. Bxb5 Bxc3
13. bxc3 Ba6 14. Rb1 Qd6 15. c4 d4 16. Ng3 Nc6 17. a4 Na5 18. Qd3 Qe6 19. exd4
cxd4 20. c5 Rfc8 21. f4 Rxc5 22. Bxa6 Qxa6 23. Qxa6 Rxa6 24. Ba3 Rd5 25. Nf5
Kf7 26. fxe5 Rxe5 27. Rb5 Nc4 28. Rb7+ Ke6 29. Nxd4+ Kd5 30. Nf3 Nxa3 31. Nxe5
Kxe5 32. Re7+ Kd4 33. Rxg7 Nc4 34. Rf4+ Ne4 35. Rd7+ Ke3 36. Rf3+ Ke2 37. Rxh7
{Kortschnoj,V (2665)-Karpov,A (2725) Baguio City 1978 0-1}) 8. exf7+ Kh8 9.
Bxc4 d5 10. Bd3 Nc6 {Pretty obvious} (10… d4 {Preserves a little mystery})
11. Nge2 d4 12. exd4 cxd4 13. Bb5 {[#]} Qb6 $1 14. Bxc6 dxc3 15. bxc3 Bxc3+ 16.
Nxc3 Qxc6 17. Ne2 {Is better than} (17. Qf3 {when} Qc4 $19 {leaves Black ahead}
) 17… Qxg2 $2 ({Bagirov likes} 17… Bh3 $1 {but, even still, the fun is not
over.} 18. Bf4 Bxg2 19. Rc1 Qe4 20. Rg1 Nd5) 18. Rg1 Qe4 19. Qd4 Rxf7 (19…
Qe6) 20. Qxe4 Nxe4 21. Be3 Ba6 22. Rc1 Re8 23. Nf4 h6 $2 (23… Rb7 $17) 24. h4
g5 25. hxg5 $15 1/2-1/2
[/pgn]

Happy Birthday Yury!

2022, Everyman Chess, Opening Theory, Reviews

A Disreputable Opening Repertoire

February 6, 2022 John Upham 6 Comments

Here is the publishers blurb from the rear cover :

“A highly adventurous repertoire designed to meet 1 e4 with 1…e5 and take the initiative! The main problem Black faces in answering 1 e4 with 1…e5 is the plethora of opening systems available to White: the Ruy Lopez, Giuoco Piano, Scotch, Ponziani, King’s Gambit, Vienna, Bishop’s Opening and so on.

Each is likely to be White’s pet line, which usually means conducting the chess battle on the opponent’s turf. One solution is to study the main lines of all these openings and hope to remember what to do if they appear on the board. Another, more enterprising approach is to turn the tables and make White fight on your territory.

Adopting the latter course, CC-SIM Jonathan Tait shares their investigations into a myriad of disregarded, “disreputable” responses, which can set White thinking as early as move three. These lines are greatly under-estimated by contemporary theory and include weird and wonderful variations such as the Calabrese Counter-Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 Bc4 f5), the Wagenbach Defence to the King’s Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 f4 exf4 3 Nf3 h5), the Romanishin Three Knights (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Nc3 Bc5), the Two Knights Ulvestad Variation (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bc4 Nf6 4 Ng5 d5 5 exd5 b5) and ultra-sharp lines of the Jaenisch Gambit (1 e4 e5 2 Nf3 Nc6 3 Bb5 f5).

The theory of the variations in this book is generally poorly understood. This has made them successful at all forms of play, including against online computer-assisted assault.”

About the author :

An ancient image of SIM Jonathan Tait, courtesy of ChessBase

“Jonathan Tait is a Senior International Correspondence Chess Master (2002) and editor for Everyman Chess. He has been investigating and writing about opening theory for over 30 years.”

As with every recent Everyman Chess publication high quality paper is used and the printing is clear. Each diagram is clear as is the instructional text. Figurine algebraic notation is used throughout. The usual and reliable formatting from Brighton-based typesetter IM Byron Jacobs is employed.

The diagrams do not have a “to move” indicator or any kind of caption so you will need to work out for yourself how they relate to the text that they are embedded in. However, this is fairly obvious.

There is a helpful Index of Variations but no Index of completed games.

The table of contents is:

Before we continue it is worth taking a look at the pdf extract which includes the Contents, Preface and pages 242 – 259.

As the years have rolled by repertoire books have struggled to use attractive and eye-catching adjectives to entice readers. In the early days we have had

An Opening Repertoire for Black, for White, for Club Players and variations thereof.

Publishers became more adventurous, for example:

A Startling Opening Repertoire
An Attacking Repertoire
A Surprising Repertoire
A Killer Chess Opening Repertoire
A Busy Person’s Opening Repertoire
A Cunning Opening Repertoire
An Idiot Proof Opening Repertoire
A Simple Opening Repertoire
A Gambit Opening Repertoire
A Modern Opening Repertoire
A Blitz Opening Repertoire
An Explosive Opening Repertoire
A Rock-Solid Opening Repertoire

but never a dull, tedious or boring or even totally unsound Opening repertoire which we’d say is a matter of regret(!)

Recently, in a search for uniqueness publishers have been venturing in the opposite direction with Coffeehouse Repertoire 1.e4, Volume 1, However, this was anything but coffeehouse and really rather excellent.

So, Everyman has gone all in with “A Disreputable Opening Repertoire” which cannot help but thinking it will stand out(!) at the tournament bookstall: so, what is not to like?

This is a repertoire for the player of Black pieces who wishes to play 1…e5 against the King’s pawn and wishes to allow White to chose their poison. Black is hoping to reply with something yet more toxic.

We kick-off with with the Centre Game (and miscellaneous second moves for White including Nakamura’s 2.Qh5) but it was Chapter Two which caught our eye since we like opening names hitherto unfamiliar. The Calabrese Counter Gambit (apparently named after Greco, “Il Calabrese”) is:

[fen cal=Gf7f5] rnbqkbnr/pppp2pp/8/4pp2/2B1P3/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK1NR w KQkq – 0 1 [/fen]

and this, optically at least, fits the description “disreputable” to a tee. Curiosity almost killed the cat and we consulted page 68 of Tony Miles’s favourite opening book by Eric Schiller, Unorthodox Chess Openings who recommends 3.d3! Sadly ES does not provide one of his animal or exotic names for 2..f5.

Scoring 50.6% for Black and being listed as Black’s 7th most popular move (2…Nf6 is the top choice) it has been endorsed by Ivanesivic and 7 “top games” (according to Megabase 2022) have adopted this line. We’d probably outght to ask Bishop’s Opening guru Gary Lane what he thinks of this. There is 22 pages of analysis should you need something unusual against the Bishop’s Opening.

Next up is the Vienna Game and Tait moves away from the “Disreputable” approach and goes Captain Sensible with

[fen cal=Gb8c6] r1bqkbnr/pppp1ppp/2n5/4p3/4P3/2N5/PPPP1PPP/R1BQKBNR w KQkq – 0 1 [/fen]

and then after 3.Bc4 returns to disreputable form with

[fen cal=Gf7f5] r1bqkbnr/pppp2pp/2n5/4pp2/2B1P3/2N5/PPPP1PPP/R1BQK1NR w KQkq – 0 1 [/fen]

which is at least consistent with the previous chapter. Statistically (based on only eight games) this line scores 62% for White OTB and has zero adherents more than once. 3…Nf6 is the reputable move of course.

Here is an unconvincing win by Black in a game when all of Black’s choices from move 4 onwards were the engine’s top choice. It was an ICCF event after all so don’t be surprised by that. There was a recent ICCF all-play-all event populated by ICCF GMs in which every single game was drawn. Of course, in reality, it was an engine vs engine tournament for the middle game onwards once the humans had selected the opening.

[pgn]
[Event “GB/Si2018”]
[Site “ICCF email”]
[Date “2019.01.14”]
[Round “?.3”]
[White “Shepley, Julien”]
[Black “Tait, Jonathan A”]
[Result “0-1”]
[ECO “C25”]
[BlackElo “2420”]
[Annotator “British Chess News”]
[PlyCount “32”]
[EventDate “2019.??.??”]
[EventType “team-tourn (corr)”]
[EventRounds “16”]
[EventCountry “ENG”]
[SourceTitle “Corr 2020”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2019.09.30”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2019.09.30”]
[SourceQuality “1”]
[WhiteTeam “Surrey C”]
[BlackTeam “Nottinghamshire”]

{[%evp 0,32,19,31,34,33,25,25,65,21,30,-34,-34,-36,-43,-37,-42,-93,-129,-89,
-90,-163,-192,-197,-219,-247,-279,-338,-368,-462,-683,-702,-727,-763,-763]} 1.
e4 e5 2. Nc3 Nc6 3. Bc4 f5 $6 {[#]} ({Relevant:} 3… Nf6 4. d3 Bc5 5. Nf3 d6
6. O-O h6 7. Nd5 O-O 8. c3 a6 9. Re1 Ba7 10. h3 Nxd5 11. Bxd5 Ne7 12. Bb3 Ng6
13. d4 Qf6 14. Be3 Be6 15. Bc2 Nh4 16. Nxh4 Qxh4 17. Qf3 Rae8 18. dxe5 Bxe3 19.
Qxe3 dxe5 20. Bb3 Qg5 21. Qxg5 hxg5 22. Rad1 Bxb3 23. axb3 Re7 24. Rd3 f6 25.
Red1 Kf7 26. Kh2 Ke6 27. Kg3 a5 28. Kg4 Rh8 29. g3 g6 30. Rd8 Reh7 31. Rxh8
Rxh8 32. Rd5 b6 33. Rd1 {Vachier Lagrave,M (2779)-Nakamura,H (2777) Chess.com
INT 2018 0-1}) 4. Bxg8 $146 ({Predecessor:} 4. d3 Nf6 5. Bg5 d6 6. Nf3 Be7 7.
Nh4 fxe4 8. Bxf6 Bxf6 9. Qh5+ Kd7 10. Nxe4 Nd4 11. Qf7+ Qe7 12. Nxf6+ gxf6 13.
O-O-O b5 14. Qxe7+ Kxe7 15. Bd5 c6 16. Bf3 Rg8 17. c3 Nxf3 18. gxf3 Rg5 19.
Rdg1 Be6 20. Rg3 Bxa2 21. Kd2 Bd5 22. Ke2 a5 23. Ng2 a4 24. Ne3 Bf7 25. Ra1 Rh5
26. Nf1 f5 27. Rg2 Kf6 28. Ne3 Rh4 29. Nc2 Bh5 30. Rag1 f4 31. Rg7 Rh3 32. Rd7
Bxf3+ 33. Ke1 Rxh2 {Boudesseul,R (1800)-Pellen,M (1909) ICCF email 2008 0-1})
4… Rxg8 5. Qh5+ $2 (5. d3) 5… g6 $17 6. Qxh7 Rg7 7. Qh8 Nd4 8. Kd1 Qg5 9.
Qh3 d5 10. Qg3 Qh5+ 11. f3 fxe4 $19 12. Nxd5 Rf7 13. c3 exf3 14. Nxf3 Nxf3 15.
gxf3 Rxf3 16. Ke1 Be7 {[#]} 0-1
[/pgn]

Moving on to Chapter Four and Five we reach the good old King’s Gambit, and, we think we know what you are thinking… Does the author recommend

[fen cal=Gf7f5] rnbqkbnr/pppp2pp/8/4pp2/4PP2/8/PPPP2PP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq – 0 1 [/fen]

as you might expect?

Well, not exactly..

Against the King’s Bishop’s Gambit the author punts

[fen cal=Gf7f5] rnbqkbnr/pppp2pp/8/5p2/2B1Pp2/8/PPPP2PP/RNBQK1NR w KQkq – 0 1 [/fen]

which makes 76 appearences in MegaBase 2022 versus the 1000 odd each of 3…Nf6 and 3…Qh4+. Quite unexpectedly we find that 3…f5?! has scored 62.5% for Black with two of the four “top” games coming from 1875 and 1876 between James Mason and Henry Bird. It has not been examined at exalted levels.

Chapter Five brings us up to the King’s Knights Gambit and possibly the most disreputable suggestion of the book via the Williams-esque and wonderfully named Wagenbach Defence. If you were thinking of reaching for Korchnoi and Zak (well, mostly Zak) then we can save you the trouble of looking. The Wagenbach Defence is so-named after BBC featured Mansfield amateur player (JT team mate) János Wagenbach:

[fen cal=Gh7h5] rnbqkbnr/pppp1pp1/8/7p/4Pp2/5N2/PPPP2PP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq – 0 1 [/fen]

and we are treated to 47 pages of original analysis mostly based on online games from various servers. One of our favourite positions of this detailed work is:

[fen cal=Gg5g4] r1b1k2r/ppq1bp2/2pp2nn/P7/2BPPppp/2P2N1P/QP1N2P1/R1B1R1K1 w – – 0 1 [/fen]

which we hope you also will appreciate and enjoy.

Arriving at Chapter Six we enter territory after

[fen cal=Gb8c6] r1bqkbnr/pppp1ppp/2n5/4p3/4P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq – 0 1 [/fen]

and potentially more reputable lines in which Tait recommends 3…d5 versus the Ponziani, 4…d5 versus the Goring Gambit and 3…Bc5!? against the Three Knights Game. All very sensible.

The chapter on the Scotch game revolves around

[fen cal=Gd8h4] r1b1kbnr/pppp1ppp/2n5/8/3NP2q/8/PPP2PPP/RNBQKB1R w KQkq – 0 1 [/fen]

with 29 pages of analysis.

Removing one knight we move on to the Two Knight’s Defence

[fen cal=Gd7d5] r1bqkb1r/ppp2ppp/2n2n2/3pp3/2B1P3/3P1N2/PPP2PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq – 0 1 [/fen] for Black.

in Chapters eight and nine with 47 pages of analysis recommending the Ulvestad Variation in lieu of the Traxler Counter Attack which has apparently fallen on hard times in the exalted world of correspondence and engine chess.

For those unfamiliar with the Ulvestad this we have this position

[fen cal=Gb7b5] r1bqkb1r/p1p2ppp/2n2n2/1p1Pp1N1/2B5/8/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq – 0 1 [/fen]

which has had 1775 outings in Megabase 2022 compared with a whopping 12063 for 5…Na5. 5…b5 scores an encouraging 51.3% for Black whereas 5…Na5 scores 51.3% for White and has an army of highly rated exponents as you’d expect being the mainstream reply.

The books encore lies in Chapters 10 and 11 in which the author gives his recommended treatment of the Ruy Lopez by predictably promoting the Schliemann Defence or Jaenisch Gambit as JT refers.

[fen cal=Gf7f5] r1bqkbnr/pppp2pp/2n5/1B2pp2/4P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq – 0 1 [/fen]

After examining White’s lesser four move alternatives in Chapter 10 we come to Chapter 11 and 4.Nc3 in which everything is really rather mainstream and, dare we say it, reputable. Tait recommends that Black steers by way of 5…d5 and 9.f4 to the following Tabiya for 3…f5 followers and fans:

[fen cal=f8d6] 2kr3r/pp4pp/2pbbn2/4N1B1/2BPp3/6Pq/PPP1Q2P/2KR3R w Kk – 0 1 [/fen]

in which White has tried many 16th move alternatives with varying degrees of success.

Jonathan has amassed a massive body of games to source the material for his book. The bulk of them it would seem are from the worlds of online chess and correspondence games and a huge number are of his own making under the handle of tsmenace. The analysis is thorough and makes much use of engine analysis as well as human.

JTs prose is chatty and amusing and certainly keeps the reader engaged. We learnt a fair bit about the history and development of these lines many of which has not found its way into the mainstream literature.

The repertoire is highly pragmatic and provocative and ideal for use against opponents who become “emotional” when their opponent plays something that they consider to be “unsound”, whatever that means.

In many ways the books title would have been more accurately titled “A Coffeehouse Opening Repertoire” as used by John Shaw for the books by Gawain Jones but they were published somewhat earlier.

If the second player studies the author’s recommendations well and is of the mindset that enjoys these kinds of positions then some amusing games will result and no doubt some unexpected scalps collected. After all, at club level chess must be fun and this book certainly encourages the second player to pump up the excitement levels. Most definitely a strong repertoire for blitz and rapid play time controls.

If you do play 1…e5 versus the King’s pawn then you could easily freshen up your repertoire with at least some of the books recommendations. Make it a late New Years resolution!

John Upham, Cove, Hampshire, 10th February, 2022

Book Details :

Paperback : 360 pages
Publisher: Everyman Chess (14 Jan. 2022)
Language: English
ISBN-10:178194606X
ISBN-13:978-1781946060
Product Dimensions: 17.3 x 1.7 x 23.8 cm

Official web site of Everyman Chess

2022, Biographies, English, Games Analysis, History, Journalism, Minor Pieces, Player, Richard James

Minor Pieces 26: George Edward Wainwright Part 1

February 3, 2022 Richard James 3 Comments

Here’s a match from 1892 between Twickenham Chess Club and the National Liberal Club Chess Club (sounds a bit like Battersea Power Station Station, doesn’t it?).

There are some familiar names among Twickenham’s successful players, but you’ll also see that their strongest player Mr G E Wainwright, an amateur champion of the British Chess Association, was absent.

A name we haven’t seen in other matches, but a very significant one. Players like Ryan, Britten and Fox were strong club players (round about 2000-2200 by today’s standards, I guess, but George Edward Wainwright was a genuine master standard player.

Here he is, from a few years later. Very few photographs seem to have survived.

George Edward Wainwright was born in Redcar, a seaside resort in North Yorkshire, on 2 November 1861. His father, David, was originally a chemist but later became an independent minister of religion. David sadly died before young George reached his first birthday, and the family moved to Bradford, where his mother Annie (Ann Eliza Tetley) worked as a schoolteacher. At some point before the 1891 census they moved north to the spa town of Ilkley, whose Moor is famous in song. (Ilkley is also famous for its splendid new chess centre, one of whose instigators is Andrew Wainwright. I have no idea at present whether or not he’s related.)

George was a pupil at Bradford Grammar School, where, I’d assume, he learnt chess. In June 1880 he represented his school in a match against the Old Boys. He won an exhibition to University College Oxford later that year, and, the following year was awarded a Classical Scholarship involving five years of study.

He was the Treasurer, and later President, of the chess club there and played five times in Varsity matches: on board 6 in 1881 and on board 2 in the subsequent four years. It looks like he improved very rapidly in his first year at Oxford. In March 1882, the University team played a series of matches in which he scored 8½/9, including two wins on top board against the Rev Charles Ranken in a match against former Oxford students.

This game comes from the 1883 Varsity Match. The analysis of all games in this article was produced using Stockfish 14 in ChessBase. Click on any move to display a pop-up board.

[pgn]

[Event “11th Oxford – Cambridge Varsity m”]
[Site “London ENG”]
[Date “1883.03.17”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Black “Raymond, Edward Lancelot”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “C51”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.1 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “73”]
[EventDate “1883.??.??”]
[Source “The Field, 1883”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6
3. Bc4 Bc5 4. b4 Bb6 5. a4 a6 6. b5 $146 {C51: Evans Gambit: Declined and
Accepted without 5…Ba5.} ({Predecessor:} 6. O-O d6 7. a5 Ba7 8. b5 axb5 9.
Bxb5 Nge7 10. d4 exd4 11. Nxd4 Bd7 12. Nxc6 Nxc6 13. Bb2 O-O 14. Qd5 {1-0 (42)
Minckwitz/Chigorin/Wittek-Schottlaender/Schwarz,J/Schwe Berlin 1881}) 6… axb5
7. Bxb5 Nd4 8. Bb2 {Black is slightly better.} Nxb5 (8… c6 $5 {[%cal Rc6b5]}
9. Bc4 Nf6 10. Nxd4 Bxd4 11. Bxd4 exd4 $15) 9. axb5 (9. Bxe5 {looks sharper.}
Nf6 10. axb5 Rxa1 11. Bxa1 Nxe4 12. O-O) 9… Rxa1 10. Bxa1 d6 {…f5 is the
strong threat.} 11. d4 exd4 12. Nxd4 Ne7 13. O-O O-O 14. Qh5 f5 15. Nd2 Qe8 16.
Qg5 {[%cal Od4e6] Threatens to win with Ne6!} Qf7 {Against Ne6} 17. Nxf5 Nxf5 (
{Inferior is} 17… Bxf5 18. exf5 Nxf5 19. h3 $15) 18. exf5 Bxf5 19. c4 (19.
Nf3 {is more resistant.}) 19… Be6 (19… Bd3 $142 20. Rc1 Bxf2+ 21. Kh1 Re8)
20. Kh1 Qd7 $2 (20… Qg6 $19 21. Qxg6 hxg6) 21. Re1 {[%cal Oe1e6] And now
Rxe6! would win.} Rf7 22. Ne4 {aiming for Nf6+.} Kf8 (22… Bxc4 $2 23. Nf6+
Rxf6 24. Bxf6 $18) 23. Qh4 h6 {[#]} (23… Bf5 $11) 24. f4 $2 {White is more
active.} (24. Nf6 $1 $16 {[%mdl 512]} Qc8 (24… gxf6 25. Qxh6+) 25. f4) 24…
c6 $2 {[%mdl 8192] [#]} ({Don’t take} 24… Bxc4 25. Nf6 Qxb5 26. Ne8 $18) (
24… Ba5 $11 25. Rc1 Qe7) 25. Ng5 $2 (25. Nf6 $1 $18 gxf6 (25… Rxf6 26. Bxf6
gxf6 27. Qxf6+ Bf7 28. Qxh6+ Kg8 29. Qg5+ Kf8 30. f5) (25… Qc8 26. Nh5 Bd8
27. Qg3 Bf6 28. Bxf6 gxf6 29. Qg6) 26. Qxh6+ Kg8 27. Bxf6 Rh7 28. Qg6+ Kf8 29.
Ra1 Bf5 30. Ra8+ Bd8 31. Qg5) 25… Bxc4 $2 {This bishop pair is nice.} (25…
hxg5 $17 {and life is bright.} 26. Qh8+ Ke7 27. Bxg7 Rxf4) 26. Nxf7 $18 {
White is clearly winning.} Bxf7 27. Qg3 {[%csl Ga1][%cal Rg3g7]} Bh5 28. f5 Bd8
29. bxc6 bxc6 30. Re6 d5 31. Rd6 Qc7 {[#]} (31… Bh4 $142 32. Rxd7 Bxg3 33.
hxg3 Bg4 34. Bxg7+ Ke8) 32. Bxg7+ $1 {[%mdl 512]} Ke8 (32… Kf7 33. Bxh6) 33.
Be5 {White threatens Qg8+ and mate.} Qf7 {Inhibits Qg8+.} 34. Rxc6 (34. Bd4
$142 Bc7 35. Qe3+ Qe7 36. Re6 Qxe6 37. Qxe6+ Kf8 38. Qc8+ Be8 39. Qxc7) 34…
Qxf5 {[%cal Rf5f1]} 35. Qg8+ Qf8 36. Re6+ Be7 {[#]} 37. Rxe7+ $1 {[%mdl 512]
Weighted Error Value: White=1.01/Black=1.03} 1-0

[/pgn]

After Oxford, it was time for George to find a job – and a wife. On 7 September 1886 he married Alice Margaret Pictor, from the village of Box, in Wiltshire, six miles or so from the city of Bath. The young couple settled in Chiswick, where their first two children, George Edward junior (1887) and Philip Francis (1889) were born.

Here, from shortly before his marriage, is a game from a club match.

[pgn]

[Event “St George’s v City of London”]
[Site “London ENG”]
[Date “1886.04.04”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Lewis, Frederick Hyman”]
[Black “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “C42”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.1 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “113”]
[EventDate “1890.??.??”]
[Source “The Field, 29 May 1886”]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nf6 3. Nxe5
d6 4. Nf3 Nxe4 5. d4 d5 6. Bd3 Nc6 7. O-O Be7 8. a3 {C42: Petroff Defence: 3
Nxe5 and unusual White 3rd moves.} Bg4 {[#]} 9. Be3 $146 ({Predecessor:} 9. Be2
O-O 10. Nc3 f5 11. Ne1 Bxe2 12. Nxe2 Bd6 13. f3 Ng5 14. Bxg5 Qxg5 15. f4 Qe7 {
1-0 (40) City Gouda-City Nijmegen corr 1851}) 9… O-O 10. h3 {The position is
equal.} Bh5 (10… Bxf3 $5 11. Qxf3 f5 $11) 11. Nbd2 $2 (11. c4 $11) 11… f5
$17 {[%cal Bf7f5,Bf5f4][%mdl 32]} 12. Nb3 f4 13. Bc1 Ng5 (13… Qd7 {feels
hotter.} 14. Re1) 14. Be2 Ne4 15. Nh2 Bxe2 16. Qxe2 Bd6 17. Nf3 {Prevents Qg5.}
Qd7 18. c4 (18. Qb5 $5 {[%cal Rb5d5]} Nf6 19. Qd3 $11 (19. Qxb7 $2 a6 $19))
18… dxc4 19. Qxe4 (19. Qxc4+ {looks sharper.} Qf7 20. Qb5 Rfe8 21. Qxb7 Qc4
22. Nc5) 19… cxb3 20. Qd5+ (20. Ng5 Qf5 21. Qe6+ Qxe6 22. Nxe6 Rf6 $17) (20.
Qd3 {is interesting.} Na5 21. Bd2 Qf5 22. Qe2 Nc6 23. Qc4+) 20… Qf7 21. Qxf7+
Rxf7 22. Bd2 a5 {[%cal Ba7a5,Ba5a4][%mdl 32]} 23. Rfe1 Rf5 24. Rac1 a4 25. Bc3
b5 26. Ne5 Bxe5 27. dxe5 Ne7 28. Rcd1 c6 29. Rd7 Nd5 30. Bd4 Re8 31. e6 Ne7 32.
Be5 f3 33. gxf3 {[%cal Bg2f3,Bf3f4][%mdl 32]} (33. h4 $5 {[%cal Rg2g4]}) 33…
Rg5+ 34. Kh2 Nd5 $2 {[%mdl 8192] [#]} (34… Rg6 $17 {and life is bright.
White must now prevent …Nf5.} 35. f4 Rxe6) 35. f4 $1 $18 Rg6 36. f5 Rg5 37.
Rg1 $2 (37. Bd4 $18) 37… Rxg1 $11 38. Kxg1 {[%mdl 4096] Endgame KRB-KRN} Ne7
$1 39. Rc7 ({But not} 39. f6 gxf6 40. Bxf6 Nf5 $17) 39… Nxf5 40. Rxc6 Nh4 {
[#] And now …Nf3+ would win.} 41. Bc3 Nf3+ 42. Kg2 (42. Kf1 $5 {[%cal Rc6c7]}
) 42… Ng5 43. Rb6 Nxe6 44. Rxb5 Nf4+ 45. Kf1 Rd8 46. f3 Rd1+ 47. Kf2 Rh1 48.
Ke3 Ne6 49. Ra5 Rxh3 50. Rxa4 {aiming for Ra7.} g5 51. Rb4 {Strongly
threatening a4.} h5 52. Kf2 {Threatens to win with Kg2.} ({Much weaker is} 52.
Rxb3 g4 53. Rb5 (53. Rb8+ Kf7 $11) 53… Rxf3+ 54. Ke4 h4 $11) 52… Rh2+ 53.
Kg1 Rc2 54. Rxb3 {White wants to play a4.} Nf4 55. Bf6 Kf7 56. Be5 {Hoping for
Bxf4.} Ne2+ 57. Kf1 {White used his chance. Weighted Error Value: White=0.37/
Black=0.40} 1/2-1/2

[/pgn]

George had obtained a clerical job in the Civil Service, working for the Local Government Board, which supervised public health, poor relief and local government, and was also responsible for the registration of births, marriages and deaths. There’s a suggestion in an obituary that he was working on Births, Marriages and Deaths at Somerset House for at least part of his career. I’d assume that some LGB employees would have been based within local government throughout the country, and, if we follow his movements, this might have been the case with George Edward Wainwright.

At some point round about 1890 the family moved to Teddington, and it’s there we find them in the 1891 census. They’re living in a house called St Ronan’s in Kingston Road. This seems to have been next door to the Catholic church close to the junction with Fairfax Road and opposite Normansfield Hospital. (The wonderful theatre is often used as a venue for operas and concerts, and the Museum of Learning Difficulties, well worth a visit, features an information board about Reginald Saunderson.)

As you’d expect, George junior and Philip are there, along with George’s mother Ann, a retired schoolmistress, a 21-year-old cousin named Nelly Fenton and two young servants, Annie Beauchamp and Emily Riley. Although he’s just described as a clerk, he’d already, because of his academic qualifications, be pretty high up and doing well for himself. Alice, of course, was also at home, heavily pregnant with the couple’s only daughter, who would be born that May and given the names Constance Margaret. A third son, David, would be born in 1894.

If George walked back up Kingston Road towards Teddington, he’d soon have what would later become Bushy Park Road on his left (an OS map from a few years later shows it under construction), where, some 40 years later, the Misses Ada and Louisa Padbury would sell ham and beef. A turning on the right a bit further up named Cornelius Road was not at that point built up, but in the 1900s would acquire houses and a new name in honour of the reigning monarch: King Edward’s Grove. It was there that, in the 1920s, one of his future opponents, Edward Guthlac Sergeant, would briefly make his home, and also where the Misses Padbury would move after retiring from their Ham and Beef Stores. Their great nephew would spend the first two years of his life there as well, but that’s another story for another time and place.

George had been very active in chess circles through the later 1880s, most notably winning the British Amateur Championship in 1889. On moving to Teddington, he would have wasted no time joining Twickenham Chess Club. But with a growing family, and, you would imagine, increasing responsibility at work, he played less often during the 1890s, contenting himself with club and county matches.

On 7 April 1894, for example, he was on Board 19 in a 108-board match between the South and North of England, where he drew his game against our old friend (and possibly my distant relation by marriage) Edwin Marriott.

Lots of great names there on both sides, some of whom will be featured later in this series, but Wainwright’s position on board 19 suggests that he wasn’t regarded as any more than a strong amateur at that point. He was still, in 1894, representing Middlesex, but he was soon to move, and to leave Twickenham Chess Club.

By 1895 he was living in Guildford, joining the local club and now representing Surrey in county chess.

This game from a county match demonstrates that George was a player with an enterprising style and considerable tactical ability.

[pgn]

[Event “Surrey v Kent”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1896.12.12”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Black “Williams, Grantham”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “C14”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.1 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “57”]
[Source “Pall Mall Gazette, 15 December 1896”]

1. e4 e6 2.
d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. Bxf6 Bxf6 6. Nf3 a6 7. Bd3 {[#] C14: French:
Classical System: 4 Bg5 Be7 main line.} h6 $146 {[%cal Oc7c5]} (7… c5 $5) ({
Predecessor:} 7… Be7 8. Qe2 dxe4 9. Nxe4 Nd7 10. O-O-O O-O 11. g4 Nf6 12.
Nxf6+ Bxf6 13. h4 Qd6 14. Qe4 g6 {1-0 (27) Mieses,J-Walbrodt,C Berlin 1894}) 8.
O-O c6 9. e5 {White is better.} Be7 {[%cal Bf6e7,Be7c5,Bc5b6][%mdl 32]} 10. a3
c5 11. dxc5 Bxc5 12. b4 Bb6 13. Qe2 Nc6 {And now …Nd4 would win.} 14. Rfd1
Qc7 15. Rac1 {Na4 is the strong threat.} Nd4 (15… Nxb4 {is more complex.} 16.
Nb5 axb5 17. axb4 O-O 18. c3 Bd7) 16. Nxd4 Bxd4 {[#]} 17. Nb5 Bxf2+ 18. Qxf2
axb5 19. Bxb5+ Kf8 $2 {[%mdl 8192] This costs Black the game.} (19… Bd7 $14
20. Bxd7+ Qxd7) 20. c4 $18 dxc4 (20… Kg8 $142 21. cxd5 Qxe5) 21. Rxc4 Qe7 22.
Qb6 {White threatens Rd8+ and mate.} g6 23. Rc7 Qg5 {[#]} 24. Rxf7+ $3 {
[%mdl 512] White mates.} Kxf7 25. Qc7+ Kg8 26. Rd8+ {[%mdl 64] Skewer} Qxd8 27.
Qxd8+ Kh7 28. Qe7+ Kg8 29. Bd3 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.28 (precise) /
Black=0.72} 1-0

[/pgn]

The administrative headquarters of Surrey County Council moved from Newington (Southwark) to the newly built County Hall in Kingston in 1893: perhaps he was involved in some way. It’s also possible his job might have then taken him to Guildford, which would explain the move. Perhaps, though, he was commuting to the capital from nearby London Road station, which had opened in 1885. A train would have taken him directly to Waterloo, from where Somerset House was a short walk across the bridge.

With his family now growing he seems to have had more time for chess, and in 1898, as a result of games like the one below, he had come to the attention of the national selectors, being picked as a reserve for the Great Britain team in their third annual cable match against the United States of America.

[pgn]

[Event “British Chess Club v St George’s CC”]
[Site “?”]
[Date “1898.01.22”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Wainwright, George Edward”]
[Black “Jones-Bateman, Ernest”]
[Result “1-0”]
[ECO “D00”]
[Annotator “Tactical Analysis 5.1 (1s)”]
[PlyCount “58”]
[Source “Westminster Gazette, 24 January 1898”]

1. d4 d5 2. e3 e6 3. Bd3 c5 4.
c3 Nc6 5. f4 f5 6. Nf3 Nf6 7. O-O {[#] D00: 1 d4 d5: Unusual lines.} Bd7 $146 (
{Predecessor:} 7… Bd6 8. Ne5 O-O 9. Nd2 Ne4 10. Ndf3 Bxe5 11. Nxe5 Nxe5 12.
fxe5 c4 13. Bxe4 fxe4 14. Rxf8+ Qxf8 {0-1 (60) Pillsbury,H-Halpern,J New York
1894}) 8. Ne5 Be7 9. Nd2 {Black is slightly better.} Nxe5 10. fxe5 Ng4 11. Qf3
cxd4 $2 (11… O-O $15 {stays ahead.}) 12. exd4 $16 Qb6 {aiming for …Nxe5.}
13. Re1 O-O-O 14. b4 {[%cal Bb2b4,Bb4c5][%mdl 32]} h5 {[%cal Oe7b4]} 15. Nb3 g5
16. Bd2 {a4 is the strong threat.} (16. h3 $6 Nh6 $14) 16… Bb5 17. a4 Bc4 {
Loses the game.} ({Black should play} 17… Bxd3 $14 18. Qxd3 Kb8) 18. Nc5 $18
Bxc5 19. bxc5 (19. dxc5 Qa6 $16) 19… Qa6 20. Bxc4 Qxc4 21. Reb1 (21. Bxg5
Rdg8 $16) (21. h3 Nh6 $16) (21. a5 $142) 21… Rdg8 $2 (21… f4 {is a better
chance.} 22. Rb4 (22. h3 Nh6 $16) 22… Qa6) 22. Rb4 {White is clearly winning.
} (22. h3 Nh6 $14) 22… Qa6 23. Rab1 ({Weaker is} 23. h3 Nh6 $16) 23… Rh7
24. c4 ({Not} 24. h3 Nh6 $16) 24… dxc4 25. c6 b6 26. a5 Qxa5 {[#]} 27. Rxb6
$3 {[%mdl 576] Deflection} Qxb6 28. Rxb6 axb6 29. Qa3 {Against Ra7. White
threatens Qa8+ and mate.} Rd8 {Weighted Error Value: White=0.20 (precise) /
Black=0.77} 1-0

[/pgn]

The following year, he was in the team facing a promising young tactician named Frank Marshall.

A long and exciting game ensued, in which our man was perhaps fortunate to escape into a fortress-like draw.

[pgn]

[Event “Match/Nation ENG-USA”]
[Site “Cable”]
[Date “1899.??.??”]
[Round “?”]
[White “Marshall, Frank James”]
[Black “Wainwright, George Edward Sr”]
[Result “1/2-1/2”]
[ECO “D00”]
[Annotator “ChessBase II”]
[PlyCount “120”]
[EventDate “1899.??.??”]
[EventType “team”]
[EventRounds “1”]
[EventCountry “ENG”]
[SourceTitle “EXT 2002”]
[Source “ChessBase”]
[SourceDate “2001.11.25”]
[SourceVersion “1”]
[SourceVersionDate “2001.11.25”]
[SourceQuality “1”]

1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nd7 ({Predecessor:} 2… e6 3. c4 c6 4. Nc3 Nf6
5. Nf3 Bd6 6. Bd3 Nbd7 7. e4 dxe4 8. Nxe4 Nxe4 9. Bxe4 Nf6 10. Bc2 Bd7 11. O-O
Qc7 12. c5 Bf4 13. Bxf4 Qxf4 14. Ne5 Rd8 15. g3 Qh6 16. Qe2 Bc8 17. Rad1 Qh3
18. f4 {1-0 (38) Berger,J-Albin,A Cologne 1898}) 3. f4 e6 4. Nf3 Ngf6 5. Bd3 c5
6. c3 {D00: 1 d4 d5: Unusual lines.} b6 (6… Be7 7. Nbd2 Rb8 8. Qe2 Qa5 (8…
c4 $5 {[%cal Rc4d3]} 9. Bc2 b5 $11) 9. O-O b5 $2 {[%mdl 8192]} (9… O-O $14)
10. e4 $2 (10. dxc5 $18 b4 11. Nb3) 10… dxe4 $14 11. Nxe4 Nxe4 12. Bxe4 Nf6
$2 ({Black should try} 12… O-O $14) 13. Bd3 $2 (13. Bc6+ $18 Kf8 14. f5)
13… O-O 14. Bd2 (14. f5 $5) 14… Qb6 15. Kh1 b4 $11 {Just,G-Wagner Michel,A/
Erfurt 1973}) 7. O-O Bb7 8. Ne5 {The position is equal.} Bd6 9. Nd2 c4 (9…
cxd4) 10. Bc2 {[%cal Oe3e4]} Qc7 (10… O-O {/\ Re8, Nf8}) 11. Qe2 b5 12. e4
Nb6 {[#]} (12… O-O $2 {[%mdl 8192] 12…Nxe4 0.00}) (12… dxe4) (12… dxe4
$11 13. a4 e3) 13. Nxf7 $1 $18 {[%mdl 512]} Qxf7 14. e5 Bc7 {[%cal Of6e4] …
Ne4! is the strong threat.} (14… Be7 $2 {14…Bc7 1.44}) 15. exf6 gxf6 (15…
Qxf6 $2 {15…gxf6 1.50} 16. f5) 16. Bf5 {White is more active.} Kd7 17. Bh3
Rae8 18. Nf3 Rhg8 (18… Kd8 {/\ Bc8}) 19. Bd2 Bd6 $2 {[#]} ({Better is} 19…
Bc8 $14) 20. Rae1 $2 (20. Ne5+ $1 $18 {[%mdl 512] is the precise move to win.}
Bxe5 21. dxe5) 20… Nc8 $2 {[#]} (20… f5 $16) 21. Ne5+ $1 {[%mdl 512]} Bxe5
(21… fxe5 $2 22. fxe5 Qe7 23. exd6 Nxd6 24. Qh5) 22. fxe5 f5 {[#]} 23. Bg4 {
[%mdl 512] Inhibits h5.} Ne7 (23… Qg7 24. Bh5) 24. Bh5 Ng6 25. Bg5 {Inhibits
Qe7.} Rc8 $2 (25… Bc6 26. g4 Kc7 27. gxf5 exf5) 26. Bf6 {[%cal Of1f5] Hoping
for Rxf5!} Qf8 27. Qd2 {Inhibits Qh6.} Rc6 28. Kh1 Rb6 29. g4 fxg4 30. Bg5 {
[%cal Bf6g5,Bg5h6,Bh6f8,Bf8d6][%mdl 32]} (30. Bxg4 Ne7 $16) 30… Qe8 31. Bh6 {
And now Rf6 would win.} ({Less strong is} 31. Bxg4 Nf8 32. Rf3 Kc7 $16) 31…
Kc7 32. Rf6 ({Not} 32. Bxg4 Ne7 33. Bg5 b4 $16) 32… Bc8 33. Ref1 Kb8 34. Bf8
Rb7 (34… b4 $142 35. Bxb4 Qa4) 35. Bd6+ Ka8 {[#]} 36. Rf8 $3 {[%mdl 512]}
Rxf8 (36… Qxf8 37. Bxf8) 37. Rxf8 Qxf8 38. Bxf8 Nxf8 39. Qg5 Bd7 40. Qe7 Rb8
41. Bxg4 Kb7 {[#]} 42. Bxe6 $1 {[%mdl 512]} Nxe6 43. Qxd7+ {[%mdl 4096]
Endgame KQ-KRN} Nc7 44. Qxh7 Rf8 45. h4 (45. Kg2 $142) 45… Rf2 46. h5 Rxb2
47. h6 $2 (47. Qh6 $18 {and White stays clearly on top.}) 47… b4 $16 48. cxb4
{[%cal Ob4b5] Threatens to win with b5!} c3 49. Qd3 c2 50. Qxc2 Rxc2 51. h7
Rxa2 (51… Rc1+ $2 52. Kg2 $18) 52. h8=Q $11 {KQ-KRN} Re2 53. Qf8 a6 54. Qc5
Re4 55. Kg2 Rg4+ 56. Kf2 Rf4+ 57. Ke3 Re4+ 58. Kd3 Re1 59. Kd2 Re4 60. Kc2 Re2+
{Black escapes into a draw. Weighted Error Value: White=0.42/Black=0.45}
1/2-1/2

[/pgn]

It seems that, by now in his late 30s, George Edward Wainwright was approaching the peak of his powers over the chessboard.

The 1901 census located the family in the parish of Stoke next Guildford. George, described as a Principal for the Local Government Board, and Alice were at home, along with their three youngest children, George’s mother, a governess to help look after the youngsters, a cook and a housemaid. George junior, meanwhile, was boarding at Pilgrim House School, Westerham, Kent.

We’ll leave him there for the time being, a senior civil servant working for the Local Government Board, a family man, and an English international chess player renowned for his dashing attacks.

The story of George Edward Wainwright’s life and chess career will be continued in the next Minor Piece.

If you want more, and, if you enjoy attacking chess or British chess history you certainly should, historian Gerard Killoran, who lives in Wainwright’s home town, Ilkley, is currently working on a biography. I can’t wait to read it.

Sources:

ancestry.co.uk

findmypast.co.uk/British Newspaper Collection

MegaBase 2022

EDO historical chess ratings (Rod Edwards)

Yorkshire Chess History (Steve Mann)

chessgames.com

BritBase

2022, Books, Opening Theory, Reviews, Thinkers Publishing

Beat the Anti-Sicilians

January 26, 2022 John Upham Leave a comment

From the publisher:

“I have aimed to find a good balance of verbal explanations without ignoring the hardcore variations you have to know. In case you find some of the analyses a bit too long, don’t be discouraged! They have been included mainly to illustrate the thematic ideas and show in which direction the game develops once the theoretical paths have been left. That’s why I have actually decided to cover 37 games in their entirety, rather than cutting off my analysis with an evaluation. I believe that model games help you to better understand an opening, but certainly also the ensuing middle- and endgames.”

“Robert Ris (1988) is an International Master from Amsterdam. He has represented The Netherlands in various international youth events, but lately his playing activities are limited to league games.

Nowadays he is a full-time chess professional, focusing on teaching in primary schools, coaching talented youngsters and giving online lessons to students all around the world. He has recorded several well received DVDs for ChessBase.

Since 2015 he has been the organizer of the Dutch Rapid Championships. This is his fourth book for Thinkers Publishing, his first two on general chess improvement ‘Crucial Chess Skills for the Club Player‘, being widely appraised by the press and his audience.”

End of blurb.

In July 2021 we reviewed The Modern Sveshnikov by the same author and publisher. Robert sees his new book as a companion volume to the Sveshnikov volume. Indeed these two volumes taken together form a Black repertoire against 1.e4 using the Sicilian Sveshnikov.

This of course raised an issue with the book’s title. When we first received this book we were puzzled that only 2…Nc6 was considered (and why not 2…e6, 2…d6 etc.) which would be odd for a book suggesting it was for the second player dealing with the non-open Sicilian lines. The Preface clarified our confusion.

As with every recent Thinkers Publishing publication high quality paper is used and the printing is clear. With this title we return to the matt paper of previous titles. (You might have noticed from previous reviews that we encourage the use of the more satisfying glossy paper!)

Each diagram is clear and the instructional text is typeset in two column format, which, we find, enables the reader to maintain their place easily. Figurine algebraic notation is used throughout and the diagrams are placed adjacent to the relevant text. The diagram captions have returned.

There is no full Index or Index of Variations (standard practise for Thinker’s Publishing) but, despite that, content navigation is relatively straightforward as the Table of Contents is clear enough. However, we welcome an Index of Games.

Here are the main Parts:

Rossolimo Variation
Alapin Variation
Anti-Sveshnikov Systems
Odds and Ends

and here is an excerpt in pdf format.

A small plea to the publishers: Please consider adding an Index of Variations! We say this because of highly detailed level of analysis.

So, the first thing to bear in mind is that Black wishes to play the Sveshnikov Variation and therefore will play 2..Nc6 if possible. Chapter 1 therefore starts with:

[fen cal=Gg7g6] r1bqkbnr/pp1ppp1p/2n3p1/1Bp5/4P3/5N2/PPPP1PPP/RNBQK2R w KQkq – 0 1 [/fen] which is the most popular and critical black choice in the Rossolimo. Part I is then subdivided into four chapters:

4.Bxc6
4.0-0 Bg7 5.Re1
4.0-0 Bg7 5.-
4.c3

We note an error in the above entry in the Table of Contents which has 4…g6 instead of 4…Bg7 and the publishers acknowledge this error. 4.0-0 is the most popular alternative and then the capture and 4.c3 trails in third place.

The treatment of the material (for all Parts and Chapters) is by way of 36 (the Preface states 37) complete model games analysed in depth until around move 20 – 25 at which point the remainder of the moves are given without comment. This pattern is repeated throughout and is a successful one.

It might have been entertaining to pitch these chapters against the recent Rossolimo work by Ravi Haria but you will have to buy both books to amuse yourself in this way!

(from the aforementioned title:

Section 5 covers 3…g6 which is arguably the critical continuation. The author offers two different systems against this line: either capturing on c6 immediately or playing 4.0-0 and 5.c3.

so clearly both authors agree and identify 3…g6 4.bxc6 and 4.0-0 as the lines for student study.

Having examined the Rossolimo, which occupies the bulk of the content, we move onto the perhaps less critical but popular Alapin variation in Part II which, following,

[fen cal=Gf6d5] rnbqkb1r/pp1ppppp/8/2pnP3/8/2P5/PP1P1PPP/RNBQKBNR w KQkq – 0 1 [/fen]

is subdivided into three chapters viz:

4.Nf3 Nc6 5.d4
4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bc4
Other Systems

The “Other Systems” include a) d4 cxd4 5.Qxd4 and 5.Bc4 plus
b) 4.g3

Curiously the third most popular fourth move of 4.Bc4 (a favourite of Mamedyarov) is not given independent treatment but this omission is probably not too troublesome.

Part III, Anti-Sveshnikov Systems consists of four chapters:

Various Anti-Sveshnikov
Grand Prix Attack
2.Nc3 Nc6 and 3. Bb5
Closed Sicilian

with Chapter 8, Various Anti-Sveshnikov breaking down into:

a) 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d3
b) 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Nc3
c) 2.Nc3 Nc6 3.Nge2

of which a), The King’s Indian Attack is more likely to be seen at club level.

Again, an interesting exercise would be to take some of content of this book and put it up against the suggestions of Gawain Jones in his Coffeehouse Repertoire 1.e4 Volume 1. An exercise for the student! We’ve always imagined a tournament based on books ‘playing’ each other could have some academic merit.

Finally, we find ourselves in Part IV, Odds and Ends which covers exotic 2nd move (after 1.e4 c5) alternatives for White namely:

2.g3
2.b3
2.b4
2.a3
2.Be2

with a model game each. One could be picky and ask about 2.Ne2, 2.d3 but these are fairly transpositional.

However, for a repertoire book arguably there is at least one glaring omission and that is 2.d4, The Morra Gambit. We looked in the Alapin section for potential transpositions but without luck.

This book is a welcome addition to the author’s companion volume and provides a fine repertoire based around the Sveshnikov. As a bonus players of the Accelerated Dragon and Kalashnikov variants will also find material of benefit. More than that players of any flavour of Sicilian will find useful material in Part IV.

Enjoy!

John Upham, Cove, Hampshire, 26th January, 2022

Book Details :

Hardcover : 248 pages
Publisher: Thinkers Publishing; 1st edition (11 Jan. 2022)
Language:English
ISBN-10:9464201363
ISBN-13:978-9464201369
Product Dimensions: 17.15 x 2 x 23.5 cm

Official web site of Thinkers Publishing

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