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William Pollock (chess player)
Encyclopedia
William Henry Krause Pollock (21 February 1859, Cheltenham – 5 October 1896, Clifton, England) was an English chess
master
, and a surgeon
.
Pollock was born in Cheltenham
, England, the son of the Rev. William J. Pollock. He was educated at Clifton College
. He studied for the medical profession
in Dublin, Ireland
from 1880–82, at which time he was a member of the Dublin Chess Club. In 1882, he became a licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons
in Dublin. In the same year, his first published chess game and problem appeared in the unlikely setting of the Irish publication The Practical Farmer. After receiving his medical license, Pollock moved back to England and became a surgeon.
Pollock tied for 1st-3rd in the B section at Bath 1884, scoring 7 points out of 10 games. In a stronger tournament, the British Chess Association Congress held at London 1885, he finished 4th with 10.5/15, behind Isidor Gunsberg
, Henry Edward Bird and Anthony Guest. He tied for 8-10th in the Master Tournament at Hereford
, scoring 3/10; Blackburne
won, ahead of Bird and Schallop
. In the British Chess Club Master Tourney (London 1886), he finished 5th of 8 players, scoring 3/7, behind Blackburne, Bird, Gunsberg, and James Mason
. In the 2nd British Chess Federation Championship, also held at London 1886, he finished 10th of 13 players (4.5/12), but had the consolation of handing tournament winner Blackburne one of his two losses. At Nottingham
1886, he finished 7th of 10 players (3/9), behind Burn, Schallopp, Gunsberg, Johannes Zukertort
, Bird, and Jean Taubenhaus
. He tied for 3rd-5th of 7 players (3/6) at Stamford
1887, won by Joseph Henry Blake
. At London 1887, the 3rd British Chess Federation Congress, he finished 5th of 10 players (4/9), behind Burn, Gunsberg, Blackburne, and Zukertort. At Bradford
1888, the 4th British Chess Federation Championship, he tied with Bird for 9th-10th place out of 17 players (7/16); Gunsberg won. He tied for 5-6th of 10 players at London 1888 (Simpson's Divan
), also won by Gunsberg.
Pollock returned to Ireland to win the Irish Championship
at Dublin 1885 with 9 out of 10 points. He won Belfast
1886 (ahead of Joseph Henry Blackburne
and Amos Burn
) with a rare perfect score of 8-0. He took 2nd at Dublin 1889.
In 1889 Pollock made the voyage to New York
to participate in the great New York international tournament, the Sixth American Chess Congress
. One of the longest tournaments in history, this double round robin was intended to select a challenger for the world championship
title held by William Steinitz. Pollock finished 11th out of 20 players; Mikhail Chigorin
and Max Weiss
won. He later moved to Baltimore
as the resident chess professional, and soon was writing a chess column for the Baltimore Sunday News
, as well as reports on American chess for the British Chess Magazine
. In 1890, he won a match against Charles Moehle
7.5-6.5 in New York, took 2nd place at the St. Louis Chess Congress, and played in Chicago
. He lost a match to Eugene Delmar
3-5 at Skaneateles
1891, shared 1st with Jackson Showalter
but lost a play-off game at Lexington
1891.
In 1892, he was Wilhelm Steinitz
's secretary. At tournaments in New York in 1893, he tied for 4-5th, and tied for 9-11th in New York (Emanuel Lasker
won).
In early 1895, he drew a match in Montreal against George H. D. Gossip
, each player winning six games with five draws. This result was likely more satisfactory to Gossip than to Pollock, given Gossip's status as a perennial last-place finisher in major tournaments. Later that year, Pollock represented Canada at the famous Hastings 1895 chess tournament
, won by Harry Nelson Pillsbury
. Pollock took 19th (out of 22), including wins over the 4th and 5th-place finishers Siegbert Tarrasch
and Wilhelm Steinitz
.
Following the tournament, Pollock's health progressively deteriorated due to tuberculosis
. In August 1896, he returned to England, where he died at his father's home in Clifton on October 5, 1896.
, who tied for first at the great New York 1889 tournament, which was intended to select a challenger for the world championship
title then held by William Steinitz. Steinitz wrote of the game, "Mr. Pollock’s play from the 17th move renders this game one of the finest monuments of chess ingenuity, and altogether it belongs to the most brilliant gems in the annals of practical play." Weiss-Pollock, New York 1889
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.c3 d5!? 8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Qe2 O-O 10.Qe4 Be6 11.Nxe5 Nxe5 12.Qxe5 Nb4!? 13.O-O 13.Qxc5?? Nxd3+ wins White's queen
. After 13.cxb4 Bxb4+, 14.Nd2 (or 14.Bd2 or 14.Kf1) Bxb3 regains the sacrificed piece because of the threatened 15...Re8. In this line, the alternative 14.Kd1 Qxd3+ 15.Nd2 Bxb3+ 16.axb3 Rfe8 17.Qg3 Qe2+ 18.Kc2 Rad8 gives Black a murderous attack, e.g. 19.Rd1 Qd3# or 19.Qf4 Qd3+ 20.Kd1 Qxb3#. Nxd3 White has a difficult game, for example 14.Qe2 Bxb3 15.axb3 Re8 16.Be3? Nxf2! 14.Qh5 Bxb3 15.axb3 Re8 16.Nd2 Qe7! 17.b4 The natural 17.Nf3? would be met by 17...Nxf2! 18.Rxf2 Qe1+ 19.Nxe1 Qxe1#
). Bxf2+! 18.Kh1 18.Rxf2? loses to 18...Nxf2 19.Kxf2 Qe3+ 20.Kf1 Qe1#. Qe1! 19.h3 Nxc1!! Steinitz wrote, "This sacrifice of the queen for no more than two pieces is based on a most profound and brilliant idea, such as has very rarely occurred in actual play." 20.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 21.Kh2 Bg1+ 22.Kg3 Re3+ 23.Kg4 After 23.Nf3, Black mates with 23...Ne2+ 24.Kg4 Re4+ 25.Kg5 Be3+ (or 25...f6+) 26.Kf5 Ng3#. Ne2 Threatening to win White's queen with 24...Rg3+ 25.Kf5 g6+. 24.Nf1 g6 25.Qd5 After 25.Qh6, Black wins with 25...Rae8!, e.g. 26.Nxe3 Bxe3 winning the queen, or 26.g3 R8e4+ 27.Kg5 Rxg3+ 28.Nxg3 Be3+ 29.Kf6 Re6#. h5+ 26.Kg5 Kg7!! A quiet move, offering to sacrifice either rook. 27.Nxe3 If 27.Qxa8, 27...f6+ 28.Kh4 Bf2+ 29.g3 Rxg3! 30.Nxg3 Bxg3#. 27.Qd7 is met by 27...Re5+ 28.Kh4 Kh6 threatening 29...g5#. f6+ 28.Kh4 Bf2+ 29.g3 Bxg3#
Pollock won the following game as Black against W. Haller at St. Louis in 1890. Fred Reinfeld
wrote that this "sparkling little game shows him at his best." 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nxe4 Allowing Black immediate equality, at least. The main line is 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 (5.Qxe5+ Qe7 is equal), which may lead to wild complications after 5...Nc6!? (The quiet 5...Be7 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Nxe5 g6 8.Qe2 Nd4 9.Qd3 Nxb3 10.axb3 Nf5 11.0-0 d6 led to equality in Anand
-Ivanchuk, Roquebrune
1992.) 6.Nb5! g6 7.Qf3 f5 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8 b6, the so-called Frankenstein-Dracula Variation
. d5 5.Qh5? dxc4 6.Qxe5+ Be6 7.Nf3 White has played the opening
weakly; here he could snatch a pawn with 7.Qb5+ Nc6 8.Qxb7, but 8...Bd5 would give Black a won game. Nc6 8.Qf4 Nb4! 9.Kd1 Qd7 10.Re1 The immediate 10.b3 was better. O-O-O 11.b3 cxb3 12.axb3 Nxc2! 13.Rxa7 13.Kxc2? Qd3+ mates next move. Kb8 14.Ne5 Qb5 15.Nc3 Bxb3! 16.Bb2 16.Nxb5? Nd4# Nb4+ 17.Kc1 Qxe5! Steinitz wrote, "A charming termination to a beautifully played game." Irving Chernev
noted that 17...Nd3+! would also have won. 18.Qxe5 Nd3+ 19.Kb1 Nxe5 20.Ra5 Nc4 21.Rb5 Nxd2+ 0-1
Chess
Chess is a two-player board game played on a chessboard, a square-checkered board with 64 squares arranged in an eight-by-eight grid. It is one of the world's most popular games, played by millions of people worldwide at home, in clubs, online, by correspondence, and in tournaments.Each player...
master
Chess master
A chess master is a chess player of such skill that he/she can usually beat chess experts, who themselves typically prevail against most amateurs. Among chess players, the term is often abbreviated to master, the meaning being clear from context....
, and a surgeon
Surgeon
In medicine, a surgeon is a specialist in surgery. Surgery is a broad category of invasive medical treatment that involves the cutting of a body, whether human or animal, for a specific reason such as the removal of diseased tissue or to repair a tear or breakage...
.
Pollock was born in Cheltenham
Cheltenham
Cheltenham , also known as Cheltenham Spa, is a large spa town and borough in Gloucestershire, on the edge of the Cotswolds in the South-West region of England. It is the home of the flagship race of British steeplechase horse racing, the Gold Cup, the main event of the Cheltenham Festival held...
, England, the son of the Rev. William J. Pollock. He was educated at Clifton College
Clifton College
Clifton College is a co-educational independent school in Clifton, Bristol, England, founded in 1862. In its early years it was notable for emphasising science in the curriculum, and for being less concerned with social elitism, e.g. by admitting day-boys on equal terms and providing a dedicated...
. He studied for the medical profession
Medicine
Medicine is the science and art of healing. It encompasses a variety of health care practices evolved to maintain and restore health by the prevention and treatment of illness....
in Dublin, Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
from 1880–82, at which time he was a member of the Dublin Chess Club. In 1882, he became a licentiate of the Royal College of Surgeons
Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland
The Royal College of Surgeons in Ireland , is a Dublin-based medical institution, situated on St. Stephen's Green. The college is one of the five Recognised Colleges of the National University of Ireland...
in Dublin. In the same year, his first published chess game and problem appeared in the unlikely setting of the Irish publication The Practical Farmer. After receiving his medical license, Pollock moved back to England and became a surgeon.
Pollock tied for 1st-3rd in the B section at Bath 1884, scoring 7 points out of 10 games. In a stronger tournament, the British Chess Association Congress held at London 1885, he finished 4th with 10.5/15, behind Isidor Gunsberg
Isidor Gunsberg
Isidor Arthur Gunsberg began his career as the player operating the remote-controlled chess automaton Mephisto, but later became a chess professional....
, Henry Edward Bird and Anthony Guest. He tied for 8-10th in the Master Tournament at Hereford
Hereford
Hereford is a cathedral city, civil parish and county town of Herefordshire, England. It lies on the River Wye, approximately east of the border with Wales, southwest of Worcester, and northwest of Gloucester...
, scoring 3/10; Blackburne
Joseph Henry Blackburne
Joseph Henry Blackburne , nicknamed "The Black Death", dominated British chess during the latter part of the 19th century. He learned the game at the relatively late age of 18 but quickly became a strong player and went on to develop a professional chess career that spanned over 50 years...
won, ahead of Bird and Schallop
Emil Schallopp
Emil Schallopp was a German chess player and author. He became head of the shorthand department of the Reichstag. He wrote many books, including one on the Steinitz–Zukertort 1886 World Championship match...
. In the British Chess Club Master Tourney (London 1886), he finished 5th of 8 players, scoring 3/7, behind Blackburne, Bird, Gunsberg, and James Mason
James Mason (chess player)
James Mason was a famous chess player and writer. He was born in Kilkenny in Ireland. His original name is unknown: he was adopted as a child and only took the name James Mason when he and his family moved to the United States in 1861...
. In the 2nd British Chess Federation Championship, also held at London 1886, he finished 10th of 13 players (4.5/12), but had the consolation of handing tournament winner Blackburne one of his two losses. At Nottingham
Nottingham
Nottingham is a city and unitary authority in the East Midlands of England. It is located in the ceremonial county of Nottinghamshire and represents one of eight members of the English Core Cities Group...
1886, he finished 7th of 10 players (3/9), behind Burn, Schallopp, Gunsberg, Johannes Zukertort
Johannes Zukertort
Johannes Hermann Zukertort was a leading chess master of German-Polish-Jewish origin. He was one of the leading world players for most of the 1870s and 1880s, and lost to Wilhelm Steinitz in the World Chess Championship 1886, which is generally seen as the first World Chess Championship match, he...
, Bird, and Jean Taubenhaus
Jean Taubenhaus
Jean Taubenhaus was a Polish–born French chess master.-Biography:Taubenhaus was a foremost Warsaw chess player in late 70s of 19th century. In 1880, he settled in Paris. In the 4th international Congress of the German Chess Association at Hamburg in July 1885, he took 14th place...
. He tied for 3rd-5th of 7 players (3/6) at Stamford
Stamford, Lincolnshire
Stamford is a town and civil parish within the South Kesteven district of the county of Lincolnshire, England. It is approximately to the north of London, on the east side of the A1 road to York and Edinburgh and on the River Welland...
1887, won by Joseph Henry Blake
Joseph Henry Blake (chess player)
Joseph Henry Blake was an English chess master.Blake won many tournaments played in England toward the end of the 19th century and the beginning of the 20th century. He won at Stamford 1887, Oxford 1891 , Brighton 1892, Cambridge 1893, and Salisbury 1898...
. At London 1887, the 3rd British Chess Federation Congress, he finished 5th of 10 players (4/9), behind Burn, Gunsberg, Blackburne, and Zukertort. At Bradford
Bradford
Bradford lies at the heart of the City of Bradford, a metropolitan borough of West Yorkshire, in Northern England. It is situated in the foothills of the Pennines, west of Leeds, and northwest of Wakefield. Bradford became a municipal borough in 1847, and received its charter as a city in 1897...
1888, the 4th British Chess Federation Championship, he tied with Bird for 9th-10th place out of 17 players (7/16); Gunsberg won. He tied for 5-6th of 10 players at London 1888 (Simpson's Divan
Simpson's-in-the-Strand
Simpson's-in-the-Strand is one of London's oldest traditional English restaurants. Situated in the Strand, it is part of the Savoy Buildings, which also contain one of the world's most famous hotels, the Savoy....
), also won by Gunsberg.
Pollock returned to Ireland to win the Irish Championship
Irish Chess Championship
The Irish Chess Championship is the national Championship of Ireland as run by the Irish Chess Union , the governing body for the sport and a member of FIDE since 1933. Below are the list of winners for the Men's and Women's titles. Note that women are currently admitted to the Men's tournament....
at Dublin 1885 with 9 out of 10 points. He won Belfast
Belfast
Belfast is the capital of and largest city in Northern Ireland. By population, it is the 14th biggest city in the United Kingdom and second biggest on the island of Ireland . It is the seat of the devolved government and legislative Northern Ireland Assembly...
1886 (ahead of Joseph Henry Blackburne
Joseph Henry Blackburne
Joseph Henry Blackburne , nicknamed "The Black Death", dominated British chess during the latter part of the 19th century. He learned the game at the relatively late age of 18 but quickly became a strong player and went on to develop a professional chess career that spanned over 50 years...
and Amos Burn
Amos Burn
Amos Burn was an English chess player, one of the world's leading players at the end of the 19th century, and a chess writer....
) with a rare perfect score of 8-0. He took 2nd at Dublin 1889.
In 1889 Pollock made the voyage to New York
New York City
New York is the most populous city in the United States and the center of the New York Metropolitan Area, one of the most populous metropolitan areas in the world. New York exerts a significant impact upon global commerce, finance, media, art, fashion, research, technology, education, and...
to participate in the great New York international tournament, the Sixth American Chess Congress
American Chess Congress
The American Chess Congress was a series of chess tournaments held in the United States, a predecessor to the current U.S. Chess Championship. It had nine editions, the first played in 1857 and the last in 1923.-First American Chess Congress :...
. One of the longest tournaments in history, this double round robin was intended to select a challenger for the world championship
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
title held by William Steinitz. Pollock finished 11th out of 20 players; Mikhail Chigorin
Mikhail Chigorin
Mikhail Ivanovich Chigorin also was a leading Russian chess player...
and Max Weiss
Max Weiss
Miksa Weisz was an Austrian chess player born in the Kingdom of Hungary.Weiss was born in Sereď. Moving to Vienna, he studied mathematics and physics at the university, and later taught those subjects....
won. He later moved to Baltimore
Baltimore
Baltimore is the largest independent city in the United States and the largest city and cultural center of the US state of Maryland. The city is located in central Maryland along the tidal portion of the Patapsco River, an arm of the Chesapeake Bay. Baltimore is sometimes referred to as Baltimore...
as the resident chess professional, and soon was writing a chess column for the Baltimore Sunday News
Baltimore News-American
The Baltimore News-American was a Baltimore, Maryland, broadsheet newspaper with a continuous lineage of more than two hundred years of Baltimore newspapers. Its final edition was published on May 27, 1986.-History:...
, as well as reports on American chess for the British Chess Magazine
British Chess Magazine
British Chess Magazine is the world's oldest chess magazine in continuous publication. First published in January 1881, it has appeared at monthly intervals ever since. It is frequently known in the chess world as BCM....
. In 1890, he won a match against Charles Moehle
Charles Moehle
Charles Moehle was an American chess master.He took 3rd at New York 1880 , and shared 2nd, behind Jackson Whipps Showalter, at Cincinnati 1888 .He participated in several matches; beat David Graham Baird in 1879, and N...
7.5-6.5 in New York, took 2nd place at the St. Louis Chess Congress, and played in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
. He lost a match to Eugene Delmar
Eugene Delmar
Eugene Delmar , was one of the leading US chess masters of 19th century and the four-time New York State champion in 1890, 1891, 1895 and 1897. He won a match against Robert Henry Barnes with only a single draw .-External links:...
3-5 at Skaneateles
Skaneateles
Skaneateles may refer to, in the United States:* Skaneateles , New York, in Onondaga County* Skaneateles , New York, in Onondaga County* Skaneateles Lake, one of the Finger Lakes in New York State...
1891, shared 1st with Jackson Showalter
Jackson Showalter
Jackson Whipps Showalter was a five-time U.S. Chess Champion: 1890, 1892, 1892–1894, 1895-1896 and 1906–1909.-Chess career:...
but lost a play-off game at Lexington
Lexington, Kentucky
Lexington is the second-largest city in Kentucky and the 63rd largest in the US. Known as the "Thoroughbred City" and the "Horse Capital of the World", it is located in the heart of Kentucky's Bluegrass region...
1891.
In 1892, he was Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian and then American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894. From the 1870s onwards, commentators have debated whether Steinitz was effectively the champion earlier...
's secretary. At tournaments in New York in 1893, he tied for 4-5th, and tied for 9-11th in New York (Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker
Emanuel Lasker was a German chess player, mathematician, and philosopher who was World Chess Champion for 27 years...
won).
In early 1895, he drew a match in Montreal against George H. D. Gossip
George H. D. Gossip
George Hatfeild Dingley Gossip was a minor American-English chess master and writer. He competed in chess tournaments between 1870 and 1895, playing against most of the world's leading players, but with only modest success. The writer G. H...
, each player winning six games with five draws. This result was likely more satisfactory to Gossip than to Pollock, given Gossip's status as a perennial last-place finisher in major tournaments. Later that year, Pollock represented Canada at the famous Hastings 1895 chess tournament
Hastings 1895 chess tournament
The Hastings 1895 chess tournament was a round-robin tournament of chess conducted in Hastings, England from August 5 to September 2, 1895.Hastings 1895 was arguably the strongest tournament in history at the time it occurred. All of the strongest players of the generation competed...
, won by Harry Nelson Pillsbury
Harry Nelson Pillsbury
Harry Nelson Pillsbury , was a leading chess player. At age 22, he won one of the strongest tournaments of the time , but his illness and early death prevented him from challenging for the World Chess Championship.- Early life :Pillsbury was born in Somerville, Massachusetts, moved to New York City...
. Pollock took 19th (out of 22), including wins over the 4th and 5th-place finishers Siegbert Tarrasch
Siegbert Tarrasch
Siegbert Tarrasch was one of the strongest chess players and most influential chess teachers of the late 19th century and early 20th century....
and Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz
Wilhelm Steinitz was an Austrian and then American chess player and the first undisputed world chess champion from 1886 to 1894. From the 1870s onwards, commentators have debated whether Steinitz was effectively the champion earlier...
.
Following the tournament, Pollock's health progressively deteriorated due to tuberculosis
Tuberculosis
Tuberculosis, MTB, or TB is a common, and in many cases lethal, infectious disease caused by various strains of mycobacteria, usually Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Tuberculosis usually attacks the lungs but can also affect other parts of the body...
. In August 1896, he returned to England, where he died at his father's home in Clifton on October 5, 1896.
Notable games
Pollock won the brilliancy prize for this scintillating victory over Max WeissMax Weiss
Miksa Weisz was an Austrian chess player born in the Kingdom of Hungary.Weiss was born in Sereď. Moving to Vienna, he studied mathematics and physics at the university, and later taught those subjects....
, who tied for first at the great New York 1889 tournament, which was intended to select a challenger for the world championship
World Chess Championship
The World Chess Championship is played to determine the World Champion in the board game chess. Men and women of any age are eligible to contest this title....
title then held by William Steinitz. Steinitz wrote of the game, "Mr. Pollock’s play from the 17th move renders this game one of the finest monuments of chess ingenuity, and altogether it belongs to the most brilliant gems in the annals of practical play." Weiss-Pollock, New York 1889
1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 a6 4.Ba4 Nf6 5.d3 b5 6.Bb3 Bc5 7.c3 d5!? 8.exd5 Nxd5 9.Qe2 O-O 10.Qe4 Be6 11.Nxe5 Nxe5 12.Qxe5 Nb4!? 13.O-O 13.Qxc5?? Nxd3+ wins White's queen
Queen (chess)
The queen is the most powerful piece in the game of chess, able to move any number of squares vertically, horizontally, or diagonally. Each player starts the game with one queen, placed in the middle of the first rank next to the king. With the chessboard oriented correctly, the white queen starts...
. After 13.cxb4 Bxb4+, 14.Nd2 (or 14.Bd2 or 14.Kf1) Bxb3 regains the sacrificed piece because of the threatened 15...Re8. In this line, the alternative 14.Kd1 Qxd3+ 15.Nd2 Bxb3+ 16.axb3 Rfe8 17.Qg3 Qe2+ 18.Kc2 Rad8 gives Black a murderous attack, e.g. 19.Rd1 Qd3# or 19.Qf4 Qd3+ 20.Kd1 Qxb3#. Nxd3 White has a difficult game, for example 14.Qe2 Bxb3 15.axb3 Re8 16.Be3? Nxf2! 14.Qh5 Bxb3 15.axb3 Re8 16.Nd2 Qe7! 17.b4 The natural 17.Nf3? would be met by 17...Nxf2! 18.Rxf2 Qe1+ 19.Nxe1 Qxe1#
Checkmate
Checkmate is a situation in chess in which one player's king is threatened with capture and there is no way to meet that threat. Or, simply put, the king is under direct attack and cannot avoid being captured...
). Bxf2+! 18.Kh1 18.Rxf2? loses to 18...Nxf2 19.Kxf2 Qe3+ 20.Kf1 Qe1#. Qe1! 19.h3 Nxc1!! Steinitz wrote, "This sacrifice of the queen for no more than two pieces is based on a most profound and brilliant idea, such as has very rarely occurred in actual play." 20.Rxe1 Rxe1+ 21.Kh2 Bg1+ 22.Kg3 Re3+ 23.Kg4 After 23.Nf3, Black mates with 23...Ne2+ 24.Kg4 Re4+ 25.Kg5 Be3+ (or 25...f6+) 26.Kf5 Ng3#. Ne2 Threatening to win White's queen with 24...Rg3+ 25.Kf5 g6+. 24.Nf1 g6 25.Qd5 After 25.Qh6, Black wins with 25...Rae8!, e.g. 26.Nxe3 Bxe3 winning the queen, or 26.g3 R8e4+ 27.Kg5 Rxg3+ 28.Nxg3 Be3+ 29.Kf6 Re6#. h5+ 26.Kg5 Kg7!! A quiet move, offering to sacrifice either rook. 27.Nxe3 If 27.Qxa8, 27...f6+ 28.Kh4 Bf2+ 29.g3 Rxg3! 30.Nxg3 Bxg3#. 27.Qd7 is met by 27...Re5+ 28.Kh4 Kh6 threatening 29...g5#. f6+ 28.Kh4 Bf2+ 29.g3 Bxg3#
Pollock won the following game as Black against W. Haller at St. Louis in 1890. Fred Reinfeld
Fred Reinfeld
Fred Reinfeld was an American chess master and a prolific writer on chess and many other subjects, whose books are still read today.-Biography:...
wrote that this "sparkling little game shows him at his best." 1.e4 e5 2.Nc3 Nf6 3.Bc4 Nxe4 4.Nxe4 Allowing Black immediate equality, at least. The main line is 4.Qh5 Nd6 5.Bb3 (5.Qxe5+ Qe7 is equal), which may lead to wild complications after 5...Nc6!? (The quiet 5...Be7 6.Nf3 Nc6 7.Nxe5 g6 8.Qe2 Nd4 9.Qd3 Nxb3 10.axb3 Nf5 11.0-0 d6 led to equality in Anand
Viswanathan Anand
V. Anand or Anand Viswanathan, usually referred as Viswanathan Anand, is an Indian chess Grandmaster, the current World Chess Champion, and currently second highest rated player in the world....
-Ivanchuk, Roquebrune
Roquebrune
Roquebrune may refer to the following communes in France:* Roquebrune, Gers, in the Gers département* Roquebrune, Gironde, in the Gironde département* Roquebrune, the former name for Roquebrune-Cap Martin, in the Alpes-Maritimes département...
1992.) 6.Nb5! g6 7.Qf3 f5 8.Qd5 Qe7 9.Nxc7+ Kd8 10.Nxa8 b6, the so-called Frankenstein-Dracula Variation
Frankenstein-Dracula Variation
The Frankenstein–Dracula Variation is a chess opening, usually considered a branch of the Vienna Game, but can also be reached from the Bishop's Opening...
. d5 5.Qh5? dxc4 6.Qxe5+ Be6 7.Nf3 White has played the opening
Chess opening
A chess opening is the group of initial moves of a chess game. Recognized sequences of opening moves are referred to as openings as initiated by White or defenses, as created in reply by Black. There are many dozens of different openings, and hundreds of named variants. The Oxford Companion to...
weakly; here he could snatch a pawn with 7.Qb5+ Nc6 8.Qxb7, but 8...Bd5 would give Black a won game. Nc6 8.Qf4 Nb4! 9.Kd1 Qd7 10.Re1 The immediate 10.b3 was better. O-O-O 11.b3 cxb3 12.axb3 Nxc2! 13.Rxa7 13.Kxc2? Qd3+ mates next move. Kb8 14.Ne5 Qb5 15.Nc3 Bxb3! 16.Bb2 16.Nxb5? Nd4# Nb4+ 17.Kc1 Qxe5! Steinitz wrote, "A charming termination to a beautifully played game." Irving Chernev
Irving Chernev
Irving Chernev was a prolific Russian-American chess author. He was born in Priluki in the Russian Empire and emigrated to the United States in 1920. Chernev was a national master strength player, and was obsessed with chess...
noted that 17...Nd3+! would also have won. 18.Qxe5 Nd3+ 19.Kb1 Nxe5 20.Ra5 Nc4 21.Rb5 Nxd2+ 0-1