CLASES DE PUEBLOS Y COMUNIDADES:

The Players: Thomas Mueller is a

very experienced US master. He was the CCLA’s Grand National champion in 1964 and 1966 and achieved joint fourth place in the 3rd _{modern series}

US CC Championship (1978-80). Russian-born Nicolas Preo (1904- 88) won USCF’s 1951 and 1952 Golden Knights championships and then became one of the first Ameri- cans to win the ICCF international master title. He represented USA with distinction in numerous individual and team events and continued play- ing into his 80s. After his death, his son Nicolas N. Preobrajensky con- tinued playing master CC for over a decade using the father’s identity: an extraordinary story told in the 3/2002 issue of ‘Chess Mail’ magazine.

About this game: The NAICCC is

ICCF’s continental championship for North America. Preo finished sixth out of the 15 players in this the first of the series, scoring 8½ out of 14, and Mueller scored 6. In March 2002, I was sent numerous game records discovered by family members among the Preo effects; this previously un- published game is one of them.

1 e4 e5 2 Èf3 Èc6 3 ƒb5 a6 4 ƒa4

Èf6 5 0–0 Èxe4 6 d4 b5 7 ƒb3 d5 8 dxe5 ƒe6 9 c3 ƒc5

For 9...ƒe7 see Game 16.

10 Èbd2 0–0 11 ƒc2 Èxf2! (D)

XIIIIIIIIY

9r+-wq-trk+0

9+-zp-+pzpp0

9p+n+l+-+0

9+pvlpzP-+-0

9-+-+-+-+0

9+-zP-+N+-0

9PzPLsN-snPzP0

9tR-vLQ+RmK-0

xiiiiiiiiy

This is the Dilworth Variation, in which Black exchanges (you might say, sacrifices) two minor pieces for a … and pawn to disrupt the white ‡ position and create dangerous chances. The chief drawback from Black’s point of view is that he cannot reach this position after the popular modern reply 9 Èbd2 to the Open Defence, because in that case 9...ƒc5 can be answered by 10 Èxe4.

12 …xf2 f6 13 exf6 ƒxf2+! 14 ‡xf2 †xf6 15 ‡g1

15 Èf1! Èe5 16 ƒe3 …ae8

64 Great Chess Games 148

is now considered the critical line, but many experts believe Black has sufficient play. 17 ‡g1 transposes to the next note while after 17 ƒc5 Èxf3 18 gxf3 …f7 19 ‡g2 d4! Black may even stand better.

15...…ae8 16 †f1

The dangers White faces are illustrated by the fact that ex-world champion Spassky lost to a German amateur after 16 h3? Èe5 17 Èxe5 †xe5 18 Èf3? (18 Èf1 is necessary.) 18...†g3 19 †d3 ƒf5! 20 †xd5+ ‡h8 21 ƒd3 (21 ƒxf5 …e2 22 Èd2 †f2+ 0–1 Miranbell- Ecenarro, corr 1969) 21...ƒxd3 22 †xd3 …xf3! 23 †xf3 …e1+ and Black eventually won in Spassky- Neunhoeffer, Bundesliga 1983.

16 Èf1 Èe5 17 ƒe3 Èxf3+ 18 gxf3 †xf3 19 †xf3 …xf3 20 ƒf2 is a well-known endgame. Theory gives 20...ƒh3=, but Potter-Preo, from the NAICCC, went 20...…ef8!? and after 21 ƒc5 (maybe not best) 21...…8f4 22 Èg3 …f7 23 …f1 …xf1+ 24 Èxf1 ƒf5 25 ƒb3 c6 26 Èg3 ƒd3 Black won in 97 moves. 16...ƒf5 17 ƒxf5 †xf5 (D)

XIIIIIIIIY

9-+-+rtrk+0

9+-zp-+-zpp0

9p+n+-+-+0

9+p+p+q+-0

9-+-+-+-+0

9+-zP-+N+-0

9PzP-sN-+PzP0

9tR-vL-+QmK-0

xiiiiiiiiy

This was possibly a novelty. It is hard to find a good move for White.

a) Recent theory books cite 18 b3 d4! (Ljubojevic-Yusupov, Tilburg 1987), e.g. 19 ƒa3 dxc3! 20 ƒxf8 …xf8 21 Èc4! †c5+ 22 †f2 †xf2+ 23 ‡xf2 bxc4 with a better endgame for Black — Yusupov.

b) 18 Èb3? Èe5 19 Èbd4 Èxf3+ (19...†g4 20 b4!) 20 Èxf3 †c2 “...with chronic paralysis of the white camp” as GM Glenn Flear says in his book ‘Open Ruy Lopez’. The cited game (A.Müller-Cruz Lopez, France Cht 1998) continued 21 ƒd2 …xf3 22 †xf3 †xd2 23 …f1 †e3+ 24 †xe3 …xe3 25 ‡f2 …e4 26 …d1 c6 and Black won on move 52.

18...b4 19 †xa6?

If 19 h3 …f6 or 19 a5 †c2, so White snatches a pawn but leaves his ‡ weakly defended. 19 †xa6 may appear to be the point of 18 a4, but Preo shows that it loses by force.

Although this game is 30 years old, it is unknown to theory because, apparently, tournament director John F. Cleeve never received a copy of the game score. Preo’s record was found in 2002 among his son’s papers.

Stapled to it were several slips of paper bearing variations of analysis (without move numbers) in English descriptive notation. They begin at this point, so the inference is twofold. The game was all theory for him up to this point, and now he saw the chance of forcing victory by direct attack. All the lines below are from these notes, unless stated otherwise.

Game 29: Mueller-Preo 149

19...…e1+ 20 ‡f2

If 20 Èf1 Èe5 21 Èxe1 †f2+ 22 ‡h1 †xf1+ 23 †xf1 …xf1#. Or 20 Èxe1 †f2+ 21 ‡h1 †xe1+ and mates.

20...…fe8 21 g4 (D)

XIIIIIIIIY

9-+-+r+k+0

9+-zp-+-zpp0

9Q+n+-+-+0

9+-+p+q+-0

9Pzp-+-+P+0

9+-zP-+N+-0

9-zP-sN-mK-zP0

9tR-vL-tr-+-0

xiiiiiiiiy

White offers a pawn to unpin the f3-È. Other possibilities were:

a) 21 †xc6 …8e2+! 22 ‡g3 …g1 23 Èxg1 †g5+ 24 ‡h3 †xg2+ 25 ‡h4 g5+ 26 ‡h5 †xh2+ 27 ‡xg5 †g3+ 28 ‡f5 …e5+ 29 ‡f6 †g7#.

b) 21 h3 Èe5 22 g4 (If 22 ‡xe1 Èd3+ 23 ‡f1 …e1# or 22 ‡d1 Èf2#) 22...Èd3+ 23 ‡g3 †f4+ 24 ‡h4 …8e6 and “OK” is written on Preo’s note. Actually, it is not OK, because 24...…8e6 is an error (allowing 25 †a8+ and 26 †xd5). Black should play either 23...…g1+ or (after 23...†f4+ 24 ‡h4) 24...g5+ to force mate, but he would surely have re-analysed more accurately had White in fact played 21 h3.

c) 21 g3 Èe5 22 ‡xe1 Èxf3+ 23 ‡f2 (23 ‡d1 …e1#) 23...Èxd2+ 24 ‡g1 Èf3+ 25 ‡g2 Èe1+ 26 ‡g1 Èc2 27 …a2 …e1+ 28 ‡g2 …xc1 “followed by ...Èe3#”.

d) 21 Èe4 dxe4 22 ‡xe1 exf3+ 23 ‡d1 b3! (£...†c2#) 24 †c4+ ‡h8 25 †xb3 †d3+ 26 ƒd2 …e1+! 27 ‡xe1 †e2#.

e) 21 Èb3 Èe5 22 Èbd4 (After 22 ‡xe1 Preo found another mate starting 22...Èxf3+ 23 ‡f2 Èd2+.) 22...Èd3+ 23 †xd3 †xd3 24 Èxe1 †d1 25 Èdf3 …e2+ 26 ‡g3 bxc3 27 bxc3 …xe1 28 Èxe1 †xe1+ 29 ‡f4 †xc3 30 …b1 †d4+ etc.

21...†e6!

Preo also looked at the consequen- ces of taking the pawn. He wrote down some variations beginning 21...†xg4 22 Èxe1 †h4+ 23 ‡g2 †xe1 and 23...†g4+ 24 ‡f1 Èe5 but at some point, he must have realised the attack was much stronger with 21...†e6.

22 Èxe1

If 22 †d3 Black’s best is 22...bxc3 23 bxc3 …f8! (£ 24...Èe5) winning. Preo’s notes have 22...Èe5 but White could then escape by 23 Èxe5 †xe5 24 Èf3 …f8 25 ƒf4!.

22...†xe1+ 23 ‡g2

If 23 ‡f3 …f8+ 24 ‡f2 …f2+ 25 ‡h3 †e3+ and mates.

White’s position is hopeless but according to the scorecard Mueller played on until mate. More likely, when playing his 26th _{move, Black sent}

a conditional sequence leading to the checkmate and recorded this as played.

23...…e2+ 24 ‡h3 g5 25 †c8+ …e8 26 †a6 …e3+ 27 Èf3 †h4+ 28 ‡g2 †xg4+ 29 ‡h1 †xf3+ 30 ‡g1 …e1+ 31 †f1 …xf1# 0–1

It was an eerie experience to ‘hear’ a master explaining his game from beyond the grave!

Game 30

White: Hermann Heemsoth (West Germany)