Cover Story / GM Walter Browne 87. Rf7 Kc8 88. c7 Nd7 89. Kc6
“I saw the winning move (89. Rh7), but after refusing a draw against ex-World Champ Petrosian the day before and losing, I wanted to win beautifully!”
89. … h1=Q 90. Bxh1 Ne5+ 91. Kb6 Bc5+ “The move I overlooked.”
92. Kxc5 Nxf7 93. Kb6 Nd6 94. Bd5 Kd7 95. Bc6+ Kc8 96. Bd5 Kd7 97. Bb3 Nc8+ 98. Kb7 Ne7, Draw agreed.
42. Ra1!
“Exchanging the pesky rook, which will empower my centralized king.”
42. … Rxd4+ 43. Bxd4 Bxd4 44. Ra8+ Kg7 45. Rb5 Bf2 46. Bf5 Ne5+ 47. Kc3 Be1+ 48. Kd4 Nc6+ 49. Kc4 Bh4 50. Bc8 Nd8 51. Ra2 Rc7 52. Bg4 Be7 53. Kd5 Nc6 54. Rab2 Nd8 55. Rb1 Bf8 56. R1b2 Be7 57. Rg2 Kh8 58. Ra2 Kg7 59. Ra8 Bh4 60. Rb8 Rf7 61. Rb2 Kh6 62. Rb6+ Kg7 63. Rb3 h5 64. Bc8 Be7 65. Rb5 Rf3 66. Bxb7 Rxh3 67. c6 Rc3 68. Ra8 h4 69. Ra4 h3 70. Rc4 h2 71. Rb1 Rxc4 72. Kxc4 Bd6 73. Kd5 Bg3 74. Bc8 Kf7 75. Bh3 Ke7 76. Rc1 Kf6 77. Ra1 Ke7 78. Rf1 Nf7 79. Bg2 Ng5 80. Kc5 Ne6+ 81. Kb6 Bc7+ 82. Kb7 Bd6 83. Bd5 Nc5+ 84. Kb6 Na4+ 85. Ka5 Nc5 86. Kb5 Kd8
Walter was a wizard with the Benko Gambit. In fact, he contributed sig nif i - cantly to its theory, and through the years, employed the Benko to scalp some rather well-known players. In this straightforward contest, the pressure he generates along the a- and b-files is indicative of the type of activity his Benkos tended to produce. In no time, White’s position collapses.
1. d4 c5 2. d5 Nf6 3. c4 b5 4. cxb5 a6 5. bxa6 Bxa6 6. Nc3 d6 7. Nf3 Nbd7 8. Nd2 Qa5 9. g3 g6 10. Bg2 Bg7 11. 0-0 0-0 12. Qc2 Rfb8 13. Re1 Ng4 14. Bh3 h5 15. Nb3 Qb4 16. Bd2 c4 17. Nc1 Qxb2, White resigned.
(see next game, top of next column)
BENKO GAMBIT (A58) Rolf Holzinger
GM Walter S. Browne Chicago (3), 1973
Colleagues remember
“Walter Shawn Browne was the most competitive opponent I’ve ever faced across the chessboard. Across the backgammon board. Across the Snooker table. Across the tennis court. Across … Well you get the idea. Simply put Walter thrived on the competition, he loved it. On the board he was a bubbling volcano; you felt like he wanted to rip your lungs out. With a spoon. Off the board he was a gentle soul. Easy going. It was his competitive spirit that impressed. He pushed me to competitive heights by beating me like a drum. Without him I would never have achieved what I did. I owe him a great debt of thanks and to say he will be missed is a grand understatement.” —YASSER SEIRAWAN
38 October 2015 | Chess Life
“Sad about Walter, but he had quite a send-off. I saw him at the National Open, where he played the tournament, gave a 25-board-simul, gave lectures, and then on the Monday and Tuesday afterwards he played poker. So passes one of the great gamesmen who ever lived.”
—GM NICK DE FIRMIAN
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