Chess to Enjoy / Entertainment
Walter Browne, 1949-2015
Walter Browne is so closely identified with his years as national champion that some fans may have wondered whether “Six-time U.S. Champion Walter Browne” was his full name. But his American audience got to know him before he appeared in his first championship tournament in 1973. This month’s quiz is devoted to Walter’s early years, before he turned 24. In each of the six diagrams you are asked to find the fastest winning line of play. This will usually mean the forced win of a decisive amount of material. For solutions see page 71.
PROBLEM I GM Walter Browne Paul Brandts
PROBLEM II GM Walter Browne IM Laszlo Kovacs
Problem III GM Walter Browne Daniel Fischheimer
WHITE TO PLAY
Problem IV Ortvin Sarapu GM Walter Browne
WHITE TO PLAY
Problem V IM Yaacov Bleiman GM Walter Browne
WHITE TO PLAY
Problem VI GM Walter Browne GM Mato Damjanovic
BLACK TO PLAY
BLACK TO PLAY 9. exd5 0-0 10. dxc6 bxc6 I thought I’d found a nice new one to add to the
book when I replayed this little-known game. White was the first computer to compete in US Chess tournaments.
SICILIAN DEFENSE,
ACCELERATED DRAGON VARIATION (B34)
MacHack VI
GM Bobby Fischer Cambridge, 1977
The opening was pretty confusing but it gets
worse. Computers recommend a variety of moves, including 11. h4 and 11. Kf1. How is a non-master supposed to use that information? And how can an amateur learn from the way the game went:
11. h3 Re8 12. Qd2!? Nd7 13. Kd1! (White managed to win after 13. ... Nxe5 14.
fxe5 Rxe5 15. Re1 Rxe1+ 16. Qxe1 and several more strange moves.) When I revised The Inner Game of Chess last year,
the publisher, Mongoose Press, ran it professionally through a strong engine. That’s something that wasn’t possible when I wrote the first version, in 1994. Back then I relied primarily on analysis by the
players who played the games I chose. I was astonished that the engine found holes in more than two dozen of them.
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. d4 Bg7 4. Nc3 cxd4 5. Nxd4 Nc6 6. Be3 Nf6 7. Nxc6 bxc6 8. e5 Ng8 9. f4 f6 10. exf6?! Nxf6 11. Bc4? d5 12. Be2 Rb8 13. b3 Ng4! 14. Bd4
WHITE TO PLAY
... then you’re in Fischer’s class. His idea was to get a Morphy-like lead in development after:
15. fxe5 0-0! He won after:
16. Bxg4 Qh4+ 17. g3 Qxg4 18. Qxg4 Bxg4 19. Rf1 Rxf1+ 20. Kxf1 c5!
But go back to the diagram. What struck me
was that Black can win material with 14. ... Ne3, using simple tactics that a 1600-player might see. For example, 15. Bxe3 Bxc3+ and 16. ... Bxa1
wins the Exchange. Also winning is 15. Qd2? Bxd4! 16. Qxd4? Nxc2+ and 17. ... Nxd4. I thought I had figured out why Bobby rejected
14. ... Ne3—and had found a wonderful example for a future book or article. White has a third alternative, 15. Bxg7!! Nxd1 16. Bxh8 Nxc3 17. Bxc3. White has a rook and bishop for his queen but
excellent chances of creating an impregnable fortress. This must be why Fischer chose 14. ... e5 instead, I thought. But when I checked this against a computer I
discovered that White is totally busted. For example, 17. ... Qb6 18. 0-0-0? Qe3+ wins a piece. Or 18. Be5 Qe3! 19. Rd1 (19. Bxb8?? Bg4 and
Try to find the best move here before reading
on. If you chose ...
14. ... e5
mates) 19. ... Bg4 20. Rd2 Rb4 21. Kd1 Bxe2+ 22. Rxe2 Rd4+!. Another teachable moment bites the dust. And
the “instructional” chess game is becoming an endangered species.
See our selection of books by GM Andy Soltis, available with a member’s discount at
uscfsales.com.
www.uschess.org 17
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