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A different Wednesday...
Apr. 2nd, 2003 09:45 pmLooking at my granddad's memo pad of chess scores, I note a two-week hiatus between Rounds 6 and 7 of whatever tournament he was playing in at this time of year in 1947. However, on a different Wednesday night, just over two decades ago, I sat down to one of my more memorable games.
First, a little background. This event was the first time I played rated chess after getting married, having a kid, and moving out of New York down to Jacksonville, Florida. This game with Tommy McC. was played in an event called a "quadrangular," in which each of four players play two games against the other three. The previous week, I had played and won my first two games, which was memorable for reasons completely unrelated to chess.
You see, shortly after starting my freshman year of college, I started to smoke. I smoked all through school, my summer jobs, the Marines, and so on. Like most smokers, I wanted to quit, and tried to do so many times. When Drew was born, the pressure (both internal and external) increased. I started to brainwash myself with negative thoughts about smoking every time I lit up.
Finally, at the beginning of July 1980, I fell sick with the first of what I called the "Florida flus." These were bouts of flu-like illness that basically put my butt in bed for several days in a semi-conscious state. On the previous week, I finally got out of bed on July 9 and felt human once more.
As I passed a pack of smokes on the kitchen counter, my hand reached out automatically.
And stopped.
I didn't really feel like having a cigarette, so I didn't light one up.
I had experienced feelings like this before, but they never lasted, and I didn't expect them to this time, either. So I put the pack in my breast pocket and went on about my business.
I managed to not smoke at work that day, which was something of an achievement. But my real test, I knew, was going to be the evening chess games, because I had not played a serious game of chess since freshman year without a cigarette in my mouth. (Talk about pressure!)
To make a long story short (yeah, I know... too late!), I didn't feel the slightest urge to smoke that night, and I won both games! The following game was played after my first smoke-free week in years!
First, a little background. This event was the first time I played rated chess after getting married, having a kid, and moving out of New York down to Jacksonville, Florida. This game with Tommy McC. was played in an event called a "quadrangular," in which each of four players play two games against the other three. The previous week, I had played and won my first two games, which was memorable for reasons completely unrelated to chess.
You see, shortly after starting my freshman year of college, I started to smoke. I smoked all through school, my summer jobs, the Marines, and so on. Like most smokers, I wanted to quit, and tried to do so many times. When Drew was born, the pressure (both internal and external) increased. I started to brainwash myself with negative thoughts about smoking every time I lit up.
Finally, at the beginning of July 1980, I fell sick with the first of what I called the "Florida flus." These were bouts of flu-like illness that basically put my butt in bed for several days in a semi-conscious state. On the previous week, I finally got out of bed on July 9 and felt human once more.
As I passed a pack of smokes on the kitchen counter, my hand reached out automatically.
And stopped.
I didn't really feel like having a cigarette, so I didn't light one up.
I had experienced feelings like this before, but they never lasted, and I didn't expect them to this time, either. So I put the pack in my breast pocket and went on about my business.
I managed to not smoke at work that day, which was something of an achievement. But my real test, I knew, was going to be the evening chess games, because I had not played a serious game of chess since freshman year without a cigarette in my mouth. (Talk about pressure!)
To make a long story short (yeah, I know... too late!), I didn't feel the slightest urge to smoke that night, and I won both games! The following game was played after my first smoke-free week in years!
[Event "Jax CC Quad"]Cheers...
[Site "Jacksonville, Florida"]
[Date "1980.07.16"]
[White "AlexPGP"]
[Black "Tommy McC."]
[Result "1-0"]
1.d4 d5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.e4 dxe4 4.f3 exf3 5.Qxf3
{The Ryder Gambit. Here, the pawn on d4 looks like it's free, but the move guarantees a wild and wooly game!}
5...e6 6.Be3 Nd5
{Looking to exchange his way down to an endgame in which Black is a pawn up. Fortunately, it's not so simple.}
7.O-O-O
{In general, rapid development is White's only salvation in this opening, but maybe this is not such a good idea.}
7...Nxc3 8.bxc3 Ba3+ 9.Kb1
{Yech. White's position looks positively awful!}
9...Qd6 10.d5
{A bid to keep the Black queen from b6.}
10...c5 11.Bb5+
{Something else to frustrate the queen. I'm feeling pressure, here, although in truth and in the cold light of a couple of decades of intervening time, I think Black has no more advantage now than he did before exhanging knights.}
11...Ke7?
{Not so good, methinks. 11...Nd7 was better. Now, the Black kingside is weakened and the Black king is exposed.}
12.Nh3
{Another idea is 12.dxe6, but the move I played clears the way for the rook on h1 to join the battle!}
12...Qb6
{This does not improve Black's game, although it looks strong.}
13.c4 a6
{An ill-advised waste of time. Black's king is pretty exposed.}
14.Bg5+!
{A kind of zwishchenzug, or in-between move (it's not as if I can move the bishop from b5). It's aesthetically pleasing, too, as it puts the game more "on edge."}
14...f6
{The Black bishop is hanging, now, but I can't help myself. Attack!}
15.Bxf6+! gxf6 16.d6+
{This looks bad for Black at first glance. The only problem is: first glances have a tendency to influence second glances, which gives the attacker the initiative.}
16...Kf7 17.Rhf1
{Follows logically.}
17...Nd7
{Too little, too late.}
18.Qh5+!
{This is the move that decisively shifts the game in White's favor, big time. Here's the diagram:}
18...Kg7
{Here, White can play 19.Qg4 Kf8 20.Ng5 Qxd6 21.Rxd6 and Black loses (his alternatives for move 20 are worse).}
19.Ng5
{But this is pretty much just as effective. White's knight aims at e6, threatening a mate in two, and Qf7 is not so pleasant, either, so Black's only defense is...}
19...Ne5 20.Rxf6!
{Opens up the f file. If Black captures the rook, it's mate in four, starting with 21.Ne4 and 22.Qxe5.}
20...axb5
{With this move, Black threatens mate in two, but...}
21.Qh6+
{Black resigns.} (1-0)
