November 01, 1959 Chess Chats by George Koltanowski, Press-Democrat, Santa Rosa, California

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Chess Chats 01 Nov 1959, Sun The Press Democrat (Santa Rosa, California) Newspapers.com

Chess Chats by George Koltanowski
International Chess Master

The Press Democrat Chess Chats by George Koltanowski, Sunday, November 01, 1959, Santa Rosa, California Problem No....

Posted by Bobby Fischer's True History on Wednesday, April 20, 2022

Problem No. 204.
White to play and mate in two moves.
FEN 1B1N4/2rp1R1b/3k1nn1/R5p1/2p1p2q/2K1N1r1/3P3Q/8 w - - 0 1
Solution: 1. d4 cxd3+ 2. Nc4#

David Sheffer, a government attorney for the Revenue Bureau, is usually found in the chess clubs in various parts of the country. At present he is in Cambridge, Mass. While in Omaha for three years he produced a number of brilliancies; however, in the present game he came out on the short end of an amazing conclusion, perpetrated by David Ackerman from the 1949 Omaha City Championship:

David Sheffer (white) vs. David Ackerman (black)
Italian Game: Two Knights Defense

Descriptive 1. P-K4 P-K4 2. N-KB3 N-QB3 3. B-B4 N-B3 4. O-O B-B4 5. P-Q3 P-Q3 6. B-KN5 P-KR3 7. B-R4 P-KN4 8. B-N3 B-KN5 9. KN-Q2 Q-Q2 10. P-B3 O-O-O 11. P-N4 B-N3 12. P-QR4 P-QR4 13. Q-N3 QR-B1 14. B-N5 N-R4 15. PxP BxRP 16. N-B4 BxN! 17. NxB N-B5! 18. BxN Q-R6 19. QxPch K-Q1 20. Q-N8ch K-K2 21. QxPch K-B3 22. QxQPch K-N2 23. QxKPch K-N1 Resigns

Algebraic 1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. 0-0 Bc5 5. d3 d6 6. Bg5 h6 7. Bh4 g5 8. Bg3 Bg4 9. Nd2 Qd7 10. c3 0-0-0 11. b4 Bb6 12. a4 a5 13. Qb3 Rf8 14. Bb5 Nh5 15. bxa5 Bxa5 16. Nc4 Bxf3! 17. Nxa5 Nf4! 18. Bxc6 Qh3 19. Qxb7+ Kd8 20. Qb8+ Ke7 21. Qxc7+ Kf6 22. Qxd6+ Kg7 23. Qxe5+ Kg8 0-1

17. NxB (seemingly strong as 17. B-N5; 18. BxN PxB; 19. Q-N7ch K-Q1; 20. NxPch wins but Black is not finished yet!) N-B5! 18. BxNB6, Q-R6 (Of course PxQ PxB or BxN all lead to mate. The only reply is a series of checks which drive the Black King to safety on the other wing.)

The Warpath
An absence of ten years from tournament chess seemed to have little or no effect on Olly's game at Rochester in the U. S. Open. He drew a couple of games that he should have won, especially against Donald Byrne. Here is an old typical game played against young Rogan of Chicago.

Olaf Ulvestad vs Marvin Rogan
59th US Open (1958), Rochester, MN USA, rd 6, Aug-09
Budapest Defense: Alekhine Variation (A52) 1-0

(a) Typical Ulvestad, something new in the opening!
(b) No, time like the present. Let's attack.
(c) Well-played.
(d) If 16. RxP; 17. Q-QB3, and Black is lost.

A Prayer
Each night before a tournament,
These words that someone said
Keep on coming back to me
And running through my head:
God teach me how to play this game
So when it comes to end
If by chance I lose again
At least I win a friend.
by Nigel Dodge, Willits