SolitaireChess
ThePragmaticDr.Fine
By Bruce Pandolfini An example of the practical play of the good doctor.
At his apex, Dr. Rueben Fine (1914-93),
was surely one of the game’s top players. He tied for first with Paul Keres in the prestigious AVRO tournament of 1938, and he gave many other leading players a lesson or two up to his retirement from the championship cycle of 1948. But he was still a formidable player by any stan- dards afterward. Exemplary of his practical, “American” style is this victory over O’Kelly de Galway, in the Wertheim Memorial, held in New York in 1951.With very incisive play, Fine seized control and efficiently brought home the point. The game began:
Queen’s Gambit Declined (D06) Reuben Fine Albéric O’Kelly de Galway Wertheim Memorial, New York, 1951
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c5 3. cxd5 Nf6 4. dxc5 Qxd5 5. Qxd5 Nxd5 6. Bd2 e5
rnl+kl r pp+ +ppp + + + +
+ Pnp + + + + +
+ + + + PP LPPPP RN+ KLNR
Your starting position
Now make sure you have the above position set up on your chessboard. As you play through the remainingmoves in this game, use a piece of paper to cover the article, exposing White’s next move only after trying to guess it. If you guess correctly, give yourself the par score. Sometimes points are also rewarded for
14 Chess Life — July 2011
second-best moves, and there may be bonus points—or deductions—for other moves and variations. Note that **means that the note to Black’smove is over and White’s move is on the next line.**
7. Nc3 Par Score: 5 Accept only 2 points part credit for 7. b4.
It doesn’t work because of the undermin- ing 7. ... a5. Accept 3 points part credit for 7. e4, which is answered by 7. ... Nf6 8. Nc3 Bxc5. Accept 4 points part credit for 7. Na3, intending 7. ... Bxc5 8. Rc1. Black has 7. ... Na6!, with satisfactory play.
7. … 8. Bxc3 Par Score: 4 White is ready to answer 8. ... Bxc5 with
9. Bxe5 (1 bonus point). 8. …
Nc6 Black can’t avoid playing f7-f6, so per-
haps this should be played directly, reserving the option of bringing the knight out at d7.**
9. Nf3 9. … Par Score: 5 White develops with tempo. f6
The try 9. ... e4 would open the long diagonal for the c3-bishop. All the same, the pawn goes to f6.**
10. Rc1 Par Score: 5 Once again, 10. b4 is met by 10. ...
a5!. If 11. b5, then 11. ... Nb4 12. Bxb4 axb4 13. c6 b3! 14. a4 b2 (or 14. ... bxc6 15. bxc6 Bf5 threatening ... b2) drives the rook from the defense of a4.
10. …
11. Bxe5 11. …
Par Score: 6 Bxf2+ Bxc5 Nxc3
The desperado motif, enables Black to
avoid the loss of a pawn.** 12. Kxf2
Par Score: 4 Add 1 bonus point if you realized this is
a developingmove, clearing the back rank for the h1-rook.
12. … fxe5 After 12. ... Nxe5 13. Nxe5 fxe5, the
white rook can invade via the open queen- bishop file. O’Kelly prefers to retain his knight to keep the file blocked.**
13. e4 13. … Par Score: 5
This is played simply to develop the bishop.
0-0 Add 1 bonus point if you intended to
answer 13. ... Bg4 with 14. Bb5 Bxf3 15. Bxc6+ bxc6 16. gxf3, when Black will find it difficult to defend the weak pawns at c6 and e5.**
14. Bc4+ Par Score: 5 Once again,White develops with tempo,
this time on the king. 14. …
15. Kg3 Par Score: 6 White unpins the knight and prevents
the bishop from going to g4. 15. …
Bd7 This was the only place the bishop
could really go to.** 16. Rhd1 Par Score: 5 White develops his last remaining piece
with tempo. Accept only 2 points part credit for 16. Ng5, threatening 17. Nf7+ Kg8 18. Nxe5, followed by 19. Nxd7. Black defends by 16. ... Be8; or 16. ... h6 17. Nf7+ Kh7.
16. … Be8
uschess.org Kh8
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