Solitaire Chess / Instruction
An American Gem
Remembering GM Walter Browne By BRUCE PANDOLFINI
WHEN WALTER BROWNE (1949-2015) passed away in June of this year, a true original was lost. America’s top player for maybe a dozen years, Browne was known for the clarity of his play and for the excitement he generated over the chess - board, often characterized by a flurry of precise moves made in time pressure. Actually, he was a very skilled “chessic” aggressor, and an example of his intelligent attacking skills is the following game he played against Miguel Quinteros (Black) at Wijk aan Zee in 1974. Move by move, Quinteros’ queen is driven all over the board. In the end, a surprising mating net is woven around the black king. The game began:
SICILIAN DEFENSE,
MOSCOW VARIATION (B52) GM Walter Browne GM Miguel Quinteros Wijk aan Zee, 1974
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6
White avoids stereotypical lines in favor of quick development. Accept full credit for 3. d4.
3. … Bd7 Black could have blocked the check by either
3. ... Nc6 or 3. ... Nd7. This move leads to an exchange of light-square bishops.**
4. Bxd7+ … Par Score 5 Wasting no time, White trades bishops so he
can continue with the next free move. 4.
Qxd7 By taking back this way, eschewing 4. ... Nxd7,
Quinteros indicates his preference for developing the queen-knight to c6.**
5. c4 Par Score 6 By continuing this way, White insures a grip
on d5, which makes it harder for Black to play a potential freeing advance (d6-d5) later on. White also gives his queen an additional line of develop - ment along the d1-a4 diagonal. Quinteros should now develop his king-knight, 5. ... Nf6, menacing the e4-pawn, but White’s last move encourages Black to get greedy.
5. … Qg4 And greedy he is. This double attack to e4 and
g2 gains a pawn, but it will cost Black time. Browne was very good at exploiting such little advantages, so Quinteros is walking right into the lion’s den.**
6. 0-0 Now make sure you have the above position
set up on your chessboard. As you play through the remaining moves 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 awarded for second-best moves, and there may be bonus points—or deductions— for other moves and variations. Note that **means that White’s move is on the next line.**
3. Bb5+ Par Score 5 A move favored by Canal and Rossolimo. 46 October 2015 | Chess Life Par Score 6 White defends g2 and continues his develop -
ment. Now the rook is capable of shifting to the center for attack against Black’s queen and king.
6. … Qxe4
Quinteros bites the bullet. Once committed to this strategy, nothing else makes sense.**
7. d4 Par Score 6 This continues White’s development and
temporarily secures the c-pawn. Meanwhile, Black’s queen remains vulnerable. Only 3 points part credit for either 7. Re1 or 7. Nc3. They gain time, while sacrificing the c-pawn, but without increasing White’s potential significantly. No credit
8.
for the pedestrian continuation 7. d3. It is much too passive, affording little compensation for the sacrificed material.
7. …
the c-pawn for White’s d-pawn.** 8. Re1
cxd4 In most Sicilian lines, Black readily exchanges Par Score 6 A nice developing move. It gains time by forcing
the queen to move again, and it places the rook on the e-file, where it can pester Black’s king.
… Qc6 Black plays this retreat, hoping to gain some
time of his own by threatening the c-pawn. But that doesn’t deter Browne from pursuing his attack.**
9. Nxd4 Par Score 6 White says, in effect, “go ahead, take my c-
pawn.” Black’s queen must now move again anyway. No credit for either 9. b3 or 9. Nbd2. They defend the c-pawn but terribly inconsistent. But you may accept 5 points credit for 9. Qxd4, which is perfectly reasonable and still gives White aggressive chances. (Many computers might actually like this move better. But Browne was not a computer, just a wonderful player.)
9. … Qxc4 Did we mention that Quinteros apparently
loves material. How about the loss of time? Five out of his last six moves have been queen moves. Generally speaking, not good.**
10. Na3 Par Score 6 It puts the knight on the edge of the board,
true, but it’s another developing move, which clears the home rank for use and still positions the queen-knight for ready transference to b5, for instance.
10. …
much of a choice.** 11. Bf4
Qc8 Another queen move, though Black didn’t have Par Score 6 Browne, in very rational fashion, develops a
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