Grob Chess Club

Annotations provided by Les Kistler

Warsaw Community Schools
WINTER CHESS TOURNAMENT (unrated)
Edgewood Middle School, Warsaw, IN
February 3, 2007

My opponent, Carl Burt, a complete stranger to me, did not like the idea that a "professional" like me (say what?!) was playing in this "nice little scholastic tournament." In his mind, it was a grave injustice for a "barracuda" to be placed in among the barrel of fish, so he didn't hesitate to confront me while using abusive language. I think his real objection was the fact that this event was advertised as an "unrated" tournament. He got so irate that he took his complaint to Tournament Director Joe Riegsecker. Joe explained to Mr. Burt that "unrated" means that the games are unrated, not necessarily the participants, but he wasn't buying it.

Just before the start of round 2, Burt was seated at board 2, diagonally from me at board 1. He ratcheted up the psychological warfare by telling me that he and I should settle the matter of first place in this tournament by playing a game under a time limit he chose. I told him �anything except that 1�minute chess�, fearing that he was the �mystery man� (a whiz at 1-minute �bullet� chess) who came to the South Bend Chess Studio back in 1993, offering a beautiful glass bowl as a prize in an hastily organized informal 1�minute tournament. Turns out that Senior Master Emory Tate was the only player capable of going toe�to�toe with this guy in 1-minute chess.
Burt got more and more obnoxious about playing me to "settle first place" until Riegsecker silenced us both with a few short announcements before the start of play.

My dealings with this guy were so unpleasant that I was slightly rattled even before I sat down to play him. When I arrived at the board, Burt was already seated on White's side of the board with the move 1. e4 already played.

Since I had played black twice in a row already, I knew I would have white, and Joe Riegsecker had just told me the pairings verbally.
I told my opponent �I have white. The pairings were announced.� After reversing the board, I extended my hand, but my opponent studiously ignored it. I left it suspended in the air for about 5 seconds before I put it down and started the game. This guy had me so unnerved that I did not record the game but put all my attention into the action on the board. (Just after the game, I took out pen and paper and reconstructed the game the best I could.)

Les Kistler�Carl Burt (unr*)
Round 3, Board 1
C10 French Defense, Rubinstein Variation

1. e4 e6
2. d4 d5
3. Nd2 de
4. Nxe4 Nf6
5. Nxf6+ Qxf6
6. Nf3 h6
7. Be2 Bd6
8. 0-0 0-0
9. c4 Rd8
10. Be3 (see diagram)
Of course not 10. c5 Bxc5.

10. ... b6 I am not sure about the game�s actual move order since this was all reconstructed a few minutes after the game. The other continuation which might have actually occurred was 9. ... b6 10. Be3 Rd8 11. Qc2 Bb7 12. c5 etc.

11. Qc2 Bb7
12. c5 Be7
13. b4 bc
14. bc Bd5
15. Ne5 Nd7
16. f4 c6 (see diagram)

17. Rf2 Nxe5
18. fe Qg6
The older scholastic section was being played in the library along with the adult unrated section, so Joe Riegsecker walked the playing area several times during this round. Somewhere in here, Joe strolled past while making his rounds. In a folksy way, not unlike the psycho hitchhiker�s flat accent in the 1986 movie �The Hitcher�, Carl Burt said to Joe �Yew did this [paired me against a high-rated opponent] on purpose.� Joe said a quick �Shh-shh� to quiet him and kept moving.

19. Bd3 Qg4
20. Raf1 f5
21. ef Bxf6

22. Rf4
Here is where I suspect that I didn't reconstruct the game exactly right. I thought I moved the rook here to drive the queen away from the defense of f6, so if she's on g4, I could just capture the bishop right away.

22. ... Qh5
23. Rxf6! (see diagram)
Or 23. Bg6! Qg5 24. R4f3 Qh4 25. Rh3 Qg4 26. Rg3 Qh4 27. Rf4! trapping the Queen for a rook/queen exchange is interesting. (Mat Leach)

23. � gf
24. Rxf6
Somewhere around this point, Joe Riegsecker placed a clock at the board, set for SD/10.

24. ... Rd7
25. Rxh6 Qf7
26. Qe2! (see diagram)
With a rook parked in his front yard and two raking white bishops (two lively little thugs, using Harold Henderson�s terminology), transferring the queen to the g�file spells certain doom for the black king. Also 26. Rg6+ looks decisive as well. I can't predict Black's play, but White has everything covered and will mate. (Mat Leach)

26. ... Re8
27. Qg4+ Kf8
28. Rh8+ (see diagram)
BLACK RESIGNS (1-0). My opponent said something like �Yeah, that�s it.� Because of his weirdness, I wanted to be sure, so I said, �You�re resigning?�, and he said so. After 28. ... Ke7 one obvious and easy win is 29. Bg5+.

*A check on the internet shows a guy by the name of Carl Burt listed as a USCF player from Indiana back in the '80's with a rating of 1457. I wonder if HE wasn't the shark, thinking he would be the only experienced player at the tournament, hoping to clean up on a bunch of weakies?

after 10. Be3

after 16. ...c6

after 23. Rxf6!

after 26. Qe2!

FINAL POSITION
after 28. ...Rh8+