MY BEST MOVE GM JOEL BENJAMIN
THREE-TIME U.S. CHAMPION
I
’VE OFTEN BEEN ASKED FOR MY BEST GAME, BUT BEST MOVE IS A different story. In this short space I can only mention a few candidates.
I’m proud I even noticed 17. ... Nf3! against Alexander Ivanov in the 1992 U.S. Champi- onship. While not hard to find, 23. ... Nxc3! gave me my only victory over Gata Kamsky in the particularly contentious 1991 U.S. Championship final. I nearly cracked that c3-pawn in half with that move! I’m also fond of the simple but aesthetic
32. Qxh6 in my “Mona Lisa” versus Eduard Gufeld in the 1998 U.S. Open. Finally, I’m pleased by the practical solution in a com- plex position delivered by 41. Bb4! against Petar Popovic in the last round of the 1994 Moscow Olympiad. Readers can find those positions in any
database but my ultimate choice is a posi- tion that was almost lost to the annals.
It
is only known today because I sent it to the combination section of the Informant back in 1984. Thus I was able to include it years later in my book American Grand- master, Four Decades of Chess Adventures. I am not aware if any score of the complete game exists. It’s April 1984. I’m a junior at Yale, taking
advantage of spring break to play in the New York Open. I need a win in the last round for some big money (sadly, not first prize, as the leader Kevin Spraggett won his game). My opponent is a gangly, shaggy Yugoslavian GM who looks like he might be auditioning to play Jesus on Broadway. We reached the following position after the first time control:
Bosko Abramovic–Joel Benjamin New York Open, 1984
“My opponent is a gangly, shaggy Yugoslavian
GM who looks like he might be auditioning to play Jesus on Broadway.
into a win. As I looked deeper and deeper, I failed to find a simple solution. The awk- ward placement of my queen and king on the same rank as his rook seems to give White time to roll his b-pawn through. For instance, 1. ... Bh6? 2. b6 Bxg5 3. Nc6 costs me my advantage, while 1. ... Bd3 2. d6! turns the tables after 2. ... Qf1+ 3. Kh2 Be4 4. Nd5+ Kh8 5. Ne3 or 2. ... Bg7 3. d7 Qf1+ 4. Kh2 Be4 5. Rc2! It turned out 1. ... Kh8 does seem to win: 2. b6 Bxe7 3. Rxe7 Qxd5 4. b7 Qd4+ 5. Kh2 Qb2! but I couldn’t work it out. I expanded my search in desperation
With a queen for a rook, I thought I would have no problem converting this
72 August 2012 | Chess Life
and found inspiration: 1. ... Bxg2!! 2. Kxg2 e4
”
My beautiful bishop is gone but now my queen will run wild. The rest is easy.
3. d6 Qf3+ 4. Kh2 Bg7 5. Nc6 Qe2+ 6. Kh1 e3 7. Re7 7. d7 Qe1+ 8. Kh2 e2 9. Be3 h4 wins.
7. ... Qd1+ 8. Kg2 Qd5+ 9. Kf1 Qxb5+ 10. Ke1 Qxc6 11. d7 Qc1+, White resigned.
Above, GM Joel Benjamin at the 2010 U.S. Championship “My Best Move” will ask top players and other
personalities, “What was your best move, either literally on the chessboard or figuratively in life?”
PHOTO COURTESY OF CHESS AND SCHOLASTIC CENTER OF SAINT LOUIS
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48 |
Page 49 |
Page 50 |
Page 51 |
Page 52 |
Page 53 |
Page 54 |
Page 55 |
Page 56 |
Page 57 |
Page 58 |
Page 59 |
Page 60 |
Page 61 |
Page 62 |
Page 63 |
Page 64 |
Page 65 |
Page 66 |
Page 67 |
Page 68 |
Page 69 |
Page 70 |
Page 71 |
Page 72 |
Page 73 |
Page 74 |
Page 75 |
Page 76