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Shelby Lyman on ChessDonfall victim to ‘Harrison’ in playing ‘speed’gamemost exasperating experi(Diogrom 1)BLACKX N 86 6 X 8X NXences in playing “speed” chess is to fall victim to a “Harrison.” Suppose you’re playing the following position:(Diagram 1)You have the white pieces and you’re a piece ahead. Suddenly your opponent plays Q-N4, announces check, and stares at your attacked king. For some reason which you can’t recall at the moment, you have rejected Q-N4 check as a serious threat. Nevertheless, your opponent has made the move and your clock is ticking away. You hurriedly move your king to the corner, “punch” your clock and start to take a deep breath.But not quite. Without hesitation and with a great sideways flourish, your opponent snaps your queen off the board with an unforeseen (by you) QxQ. First who is short of time, glances at the vari-(Diogram 2)BLACKxb n6 ad d x ax nx xxQR QN QBKB KN KRW HITEQR QN QB Q K KB KN KRWHITEcheck on move two instead of RxNashock, then anger and disgust. Your opponent has outrageously bluffed you out of a won game. You’ve been smartlyHarrisoned.” Distracted by the clockand decoyed by your opponent’s manner, you’ve overlooked that the queens were mutually engaged. Your opponent gambled that you would not see QxQ; you lost.In a recent game played in the New York Senior Masters’ Tournament, the following position was reached:(Diagram 2)ation 2) NxB RxN 3) BxR and N-K6 and come out okay. When I pointed outcheck for black regaining the rook.He superficially rejects it and plays instead 2) R-N2 and retains a slightly better position. If he had looked a few moves further into the preceding variation, he would have found a decisive follow-up. After 3) ... N-K6 check and 4) ... NxR by black, Popovych could have played B-B5 and his queen rook pawn could not have been stopped.After the game, I discussed the posi-White, Orest Popovych, is a pawn tion with Arthur Feuerstein. Had heahead with great advantage on the queen “Harrisoned” Popovych? No. He wasthat he would be a piece behind after 2) ... N-K6 check 3) BxN RxN and 4) B-Q2, he admitted he had miscalculated.Feuerstein apparently had played 1) ... BxP with complete confidence; he had been unaware of the unsoundness of the move. Popovych, laboring under time pressure, fell victim to his opponent’s unwitting bluff.Copyright 1973 by S Shelby Lyman will from time to time answer readers* questions about chess inthis column but he cannot promise to answer all inquiries. Address your ques-Arthur Feuersteinunaware the variation he played should tions to Shelby Lyman, Paddock Publica-move. He begins a clever but faulty com- have lost outright. True, he had seenplaying BxP!??. Popovychassumedis, P.O. Box 280 60006.U.S. playoffs lack fans, FischerChesscrazeWhatcrazeby RALPH NOVAKAll those people who have been talking about the chess craze sweeping the country should have been here for the recent U.S. Championship playoff tournament.Somebeen here. Asthenot have to be estimated, since they could be tallied on the fingers and toes ofthe reporters present. Both of them.Still, the isolation seemed blissful and not at all discouraging to the players themselves, no doubt accustomed to the public anonymity that has traditionally engulfed even the greatest chess masters.Robert Byrne, a soft-spoken 43-year-old from Long Island who emerged from the playoffs here with his first U.S. title, said he is convinced that chees is leaping and bounding to greater popularity.“CHESS WOULD make a good spectator attraction of wide appeal, especially on television,” Byrne said. “There’s nocouldndofootball, since vou can alwavs varv theto suit what istime limit available.”There was no television coverage of the playoff and even the Chicago newspapers provided only a sketchy account the match, desDite a Herculeandreds of thousands of American kids between Fischer and former championhave taken up chess.Boris Spassky. The question is whetherAMERICANS LOVE a winner, for one F[scher wlU like Muhammad Ali, end upthing. And before, the general publicdoing a sublime job of promoting himselfdidn’t know how competitive chess was. with being able to things for hisThey thought it was just a genteel pas- l^ss flambov ant competitors.time.“Will it last?” says George Kolta-nowski, a columnist and international “Reykjavik opened their eyes to the master who was playoff tournament difact that chess is like a tank of barra- rector. “We’ll have to wait five or 10cudas. Now that the game is perceived years to find out if today’s young peopleas being more savage, maybe it can be- will stay enthusiastic about chess. Maybecome more popular.”The disappointing playoff turnout (of about 100 spectators per game) notwithstanding, there are signs that chess is making a small breakthrough.Since the*e are now only a half dozen or so fulltime American chess pros, what the players would like is a tour of match-by then somebody will come along who is a spectacular Ping Pong player. Theneverybody will be playing Ping Pong.”(Newspaper Enterprise Assn.)Initiate new memberses sponsored by wealthy, publicity-seek- into Qllill Ulltl Scrolling corporations, like the tour the pro golfers and bowlers follow. And a recent San Antonio tournament sponsored by aThirty-six new members of the Stuartprepared chicken chain and a $25,000 R. P^doek Chapter of QrnU and SeroUtournament planned for this fall in Hollywood, sponsored by entertainer Bobby Darin, encourage them to believe that y*were initiated at a formal ceremony in the Forest View High School Theatermay be a realistic hope.Officers of the Forest View chapter of this international honor society for highTHE WINNER and new U.S. chess talked about is a rumoredSTILL, THE ONLY big money being school journalists are Diane Frantell,president, Pat Kelly, vice president, andrelations effort by president Richard champion, Robert Byrne is an admirer fer from a Las Vegas source for a Debbie Jessie, secretary-treasurer.Verber of the Chicago Chess Club, which sponsored the tournament.What the tournament lacked in termsof newsworthiness was the mixed butlucrative blessing that would have been provided by the participation of BobbyFischer.Fischer, as world champion, no longer has to worry about competing to become U.S. champion, just as Richard Nixon no longer has to worry about competing to become U.S. senator from California. And the prize money involved hereand potential challenger of world tit-list Bobby Fischer.the Reykjavik confrontationnation.)the playoff among the threlt; U.S. spots in the world elimiJoins honor societyFernandez, of 9518 DeeThe new members are:Kay Barron, Dennis Beach, SusanBlack, Mindy Lou Boles, Darcy Busch, Debby Busch, Trish Dhein, Peggy Dln-kelkamp, Jeanne DiVall, Diane Doan,Cindy Dolven, Linda Duck.Gena Gibson, Jon Hardman, Karen$2000 for first placebe paltryBut while they are both Fischer’s competitors, Byrne and Reshevsky are also among Fischer’s admirers.Reshevsky, a spunky 60-year-old, hassharedDes Plaines, was among eight students Hathcoat, John Jansen, Kethy Johnson,out of 140 graduates honored this year Kim Johnson, Jeffrey Jur, Angela Kar-for high scholastic achievement at the ras, Alan Kearns, Jamie Koelliker, KorieWalter E. Heller College of Business Administration at Roosevelt University. The eight were inducted into BetaKoelliker, John Kronforst.Karen Larson, Lou Leuzzi, Sibel Melik, Larry Monroe, Bruce Mueller, PeterFischer, who can hardly be per- enough that while he was walkingtimes but he remains anonymous Sigma, national scholastic honorary Xenni, Margaret Russo, Sue Rzepecki, Alsuaded to answer a telephone for anything less than $50,000.BYRNE AND Samuel Reshevsky, whofinished second in Chicago, won the right to advance to next year’s interzonal matches in Brazil and the Soviet Union, part of the elimination process to choose a challenger for Fischer in the next world title match in 1975. (Byrne and Reshevsky tied with Lubomir Kavalek in last April in the U.S. championship, ne-one of his playoff games against Kavalek, a door attendant asked him for his ticket. He says, though, that Fischer’s eccentric and publicity-drawing genius have brought more money into the chesstour and made all chess players moremarketable commodities.Byrne calls Fischer “the greatest asset to the game America has ever had.” “Because of him,” Byrne says, “hun-society at a noontime ceremonyUniversity in January.Schneck, Melodye Serino, Cindy Stamis, David Swain.THE ROOK (occasionally called the castle) moves and captures horizontally and vertically, along the ranks and files.THE BISHOP moves and capturesdiagonally.THE QUEEN, the most powerful piece on the board, moves and captures diagonally, and horizontally and vertically, along the ranks andfiles.THE KNIGHT moves and captures in the form of a capital L — two spaces in either a horizontal or vertical direction and one space to the right or left. It is the only piece permitted to jump over other men.THE PAWN moves only forward one space, with the exception of its first move when it has the option of moving two spaces forward. It captures one square diagonally forward.THE KING moves and captures one square at a time in any direction.
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Wheeling Herald
Wheeling, Illinois, US
Fri, Mar 02, 1973
Page 18
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