chess game #6 - a memorable loss
There's something magical about that first time you travel with your friends, staying overnight for the first time without your family. For me, that magical trip was the 1978 Tanglewood Open. Five of us - Steve Courtemanche, Bob Anderson, David Allard, Greg Gaudet and I - all made the road trip out to the Berkshires to play this tournament (Bill Vass, another player from our chess club also attended, but was not part of our road trip plans). We came away with a remarkable result - we all played in the under 1600 section, and every one of us finished with no worse than an even score (2.5-2.5). Even better, I took clear first with a 5-0 record, and Steve took clear second with a 4.5-0.5 tally! We walked off with all the prize money from that section. I still remember clear first was worth $160 + a trophy, which eclipsed the two-figure wins I had had to this point, and which seemed like a fortune to me as I started my senior year of high school.
The game I am posting here is NOT from this tournament. Rather, it is from the Tanglewood open of the FOLLOWING year. In 1979 the tournament was moved from Berkshire Community College cafeteria in Pittsfield, MA (I still recall that place being overrun with houseflies - not conducive to good chess concentration) to Searles Castle in Great Barrington, MA. Even in the new setting, the tournament was still treating me well. After 4 rounds, I was a perfect 4-0. Yes, that's right, I was a perfect 9-0 at the Tanglewood Open to this point. What made it more impressive was that the section cutoffs were changed from the year before, so that this year I played in the under 1800 section (my rating had risen, and I could not have qualified for the under 1600 section again, so that was lucky). Poor John Jarecki - he blundered with white in 1978 to lose the 5th round game to me, and then repeated the feat in the 4th round game of 1979. He went 8-2 in those two tournaments, with his only losses coming to me.
So I'm cruising into the final round, and get the white pieces against a player with whom I was unfamiliar - a high school senior named Ken Mann (I was a 17-year-old college freshman at this point). I built up a decent position against him, and... well, here is the game...
White: Weideman,T
Black: Mann,K
Event: Tanglewood Open - Under 1800 Section (5)
Date: 1979-09-16
(A04 Réti O)
1 Nf3 c5
2 e3 g6
3 d4 cxd4
4 exd4 Bg7
5 Be3 Nf6
6 Nc3 O-O
7 Be2 d6
8 Qd2 Bd7
9 O-O-O Ng4
10 h3 Nxe3
11 fxe3 Nc6
12 g4 Rc8
13 Rdg1 a6
14 h4 Na5
15 h5 Nc4
16 Bxc4 Rxc4
17 Qh2 g5
18 h6 Bh8
19 Qh5 f6
20 Nxg5
Amazingly, after a lot of time to "think" about it, my computer rates the position as dead even, recommending this same move. Leading up to this point, it gives white the advantage, and white played reasonable moves to get here. So I guess we'll just have to evaluate it as "unclear", but roughly equal.
20... Be8
For some reason, this obvious defensive move threw me for a loop (I had totally overlooked it). The response I came up with was the best, according to the computer, and Ken responded with the best move as well...
21 Ne6 Qc8
22 Qd5 Bf7
Somehow we are both still navigating through the position with the best moves, and the computer now evaluates this position as a solid advantage to me. I don't think I felt this way at the time. In any case, this is about to change.
23 Rh5??
After a long string of good moves by both of us, I finally dropped the ball. I actually find it surprising that I didn't come up with the correct move, as it is one of those that plays itself: 23 g5! Thereafter follows a minefield for black to tiptoe through in order to avoid a quick loss: 23... f5! (23... Bxe6?, 24 gxf6+, Kf7 25 Qh5+, Kf6, 26 Ne4#. Or 24... Bg7, 25 Rxg7+, Kh8, 26 Qg5! [threatening Rxh7+ followed by mate on g7], Rg8, 27 fxe7, and the threat of Rxg8+ followed by Qf6+ cannot be met), 24 g6!, Be6, 25 Qg2, Rf6, 26 g7, Rg6 and white is still somewhat better, but his game is by no means crushing as it is with other variations.
From here it is not hard for black to consolidate his material advantage, and the game declines rapidly for me:
23... Bxe6
24 Rg5+ Kf7
25 Qf3 Ke8
26 Rf1 b5
27 Rg7 Bxg7
28 hxg7 Rg8
29 g5 Rxg7
30 gxf6 exf6
31 d5 Rf7
32 Qh5 Bg4
33 Qh2 Qc7
34 Rg1 h5
35 e4 b4
36 Nb1 Rxe4
37 Nd2 Re2
38 Qh1 Qe7
39 Kb1 Rxd2
40 a3 bxa3
41 Ka1 axb2+
42 Ka2 Qd7
43 Rxg4 Qxg4
44 Kxb2 Rb7+
45 Kc1 Rb1+ 0-1
Now for (as Paul Harvey used to say) THE REST OF THE STORY...
The year before, Steve and I arrived together and won clear first and second. This year, Ken came with a friend (not sure who it was, but for some reason the name "Mark Goodwin" comes to mind), and THEY finished clear first and second!
As usual for me, I couldn't separate my competitive nature from my personal feelings, and found myself disliking Ken after that game. Little would I know that a year later he would be attending WPI with me, and as college chess teammates we would become good friends. In fact, in January 1982 (shortly after playing in the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Championship in New York City - possibly the most fun I've ever had at a tournament), we became roommates for the Winter and Spring terms! Nowadays this game makes me feel congratulatory toward Ken, though my winning two straight years with perfect scores would have been pretty sweet!
The game I am posting here is NOT from this tournament. Rather, it is from the Tanglewood open of the FOLLOWING year. In 1979 the tournament was moved from Berkshire Community College cafeteria in Pittsfield, MA (I still recall that place being overrun with houseflies - not conducive to good chess concentration) to Searles Castle in Great Barrington, MA. Even in the new setting, the tournament was still treating me well. After 4 rounds, I was a perfect 4-0. Yes, that's right, I was a perfect 9-0 at the Tanglewood Open to this point. What made it more impressive was that the section cutoffs were changed from the year before, so that this year I played in the under 1800 section (my rating had risen, and I could not have qualified for the under 1600 section again, so that was lucky). Poor John Jarecki - he blundered with white in 1978 to lose the 5th round game to me, and then repeated the feat in the 4th round game of 1979. He went 8-2 in those two tournaments, with his only losses coming to me.
So I'm cruising into the final round, and get the white pieces against a player with whom I was unfamiliar - a high school senior named Ken Mann (I was a 17-year-old college freshman at this point). I built up a decent position against him, and... well, here is the game...
White: Weideman,T
Black: Mann,K
Event: Tanglewood Open - Under 1800 Section (5)
Date: 1979-09-16
(A04 Réti O)
1 Nf3 c5
2 e3 g6
3 d4 cxd4
4 exd4 Bg7
5 Be3 Nf6
6 Nc3 O-O
7 Be2 d6
8 Qd2 Bd7
9 O-O-O Ng4
10 h3 Nxe3
11 fxe3 Nc6
12 g4 Rc8
13 Rdg1 a6
14 h4 Na5
15 h5 Nc4
16 Bxc4 Rxc4
17 Qh2 g5
18 h6 Bh8
19 Qh5 f6
20 Nxg5
Amazingly, after a lot of time to "think" about it, my computer rates the position as dead even, recommending this same move. Leading up to this point, it gives white the advantage, and white played reasonable moves to get here. So I guess we'll just have to evaluate it as "unclear", but roughly equal.
20... Be8
For some reason, this obvious defensive move threw me for a loop (I had totally overlooked it). The response I came up with was the best, according to the computer, and Ken responded with the best move as well...
21 Ne6 Qc8
22 Qd5 Bf7
Somehow we are both still navigating through the position with the best moves, and the computer now evaluates this position as a solid advantage to me. I don't think I felt this way at the time. In any case, this is about to change.
23 Rh5??
After a long string of good moves by both of us, I finally dropped the ball. I actually find it surprising that I didn't come up with the correct move, as it is one of those that plays itself: 23 g5! Thereafter follows a minefield for black to tiptoe through in order to avoid a quick loss: 23... f5! (23... Bxe6?, 24 gxf6+, Kf7 25 Qh5+, Kf6, 26 Ne4#. Or 24... Bg7, 25 Rxg7+, Kh8, 26 Qg5! [threatening Rxh7+ followed by mate on g7], Rg8, 27 fxe7, and the threat of Rxg8+ followed by Qf6+ cannot be met), 24 g6!, Be6, 25 Qg2, Rf6, 26 g7, Rg6 and white is still somewhat better, but his game is by no means crushing as it is with other variations.
From here it is not hard for black to consolidate his material advantage, and the game declines rapidly for me:
23... Bxe6
24 Rg5+ Kf7
25 Qf3 Ke8
26 Rf1 b5
27 Rg7 Bxg7
28 hxg7 Rg8
29 g5 Rxg7
30 gxf6 exf6
31 d5 Rf7
32 Qh5 Bg4
33 Qh2 Qc7
34 Rg1 h5
35 e4 b4
36 Nb1 Rxe4
37 Nd2 Re2
38 Qh1 Qe7
39 Kb1 Rxd2
40 a3 bxa3
41 Ka1 axb2+
42 Ka2 Qd7
43 Rxg4 Qxg4
44 Kxb2 Rb7+
45 Kc1 Rb1+ 0-1
Now for (as Paul Harvey used to say) THE REST OF THE STORY...
The year before, Steve and I arrived together and won clear first and second. This year, Ken came with a friend (not sure who it was, but for some reason the name "Mark Goodwin" comes to mind), and THEY finished clear first and second!
As usual for me, I couldn't separate my competitive nature from my personal feelings, and found myself disliking Ken after that game. Little would I know that a year later he would be attending WPI with me, and as college chess teammates we would become good friends. In fact, in January 1982 (shortly after playing in the Pan-American Intercollegiate Team Championship in New York City - possibly the most fun I've ever had at a tournament), we became roommates for the Winter and Spring terms! Nowadays this game makes me feel congratulatory toward Ken, though my winning two straight years with perfect scores would have been pretty sweet!