“Arthur W. Feuerstein of New York (Bronx), age 22; works for IBM on computers; member of U.S. Student Team in Iceland, 1957; U.S. Junior ‘Rapid Champion’, 1956; placed third in the Third Rosenwald tournament, 1956.”
That was the mini-bio the magazine Chess Review offered in its February 1958 issue of one of the most promising young stars on the American chess scene, about to play in his first U.S. championship. The winner of the tournament, a 14-year-old Brooklyn high schooler named Bobby Fischer, went to bigger and better things, but that little notice sparks melancholy thoughts about how far many of the promising generation of postwar American players might have gone — even lacking Fischer’s drive and genius — had they had the training and support system Soviet players of the era enjoyed.
Feuerstein, who died Feb. 2 at the age of 86, is one of the prime “might-have-beens” of the era. He was climbing the ratings ladder when the U.S. Army called in 1958, and though he remained active in chess, having to earn a living kept him from ever making a serious climb for the top ranks. His remarkable life story, including a miraculous comeback from a near-fatal 1973 car accident, is well told in a reprint of a 2012 Al Lawrence profile on USChess.org, which is well worth reading in full.
A famous example of Feuerstein’s talent came in a brilliancy-prize winning Stonewall victory over Erich Marchand at the New York state championship in 1954, when Feuerstein was just 18. It’s unclear if White planned or simply fell into the shocking line which disrupts the play, but he handles the resulting messy positional play with aplomb.
After 10. g4!!? (e4 c4 11. Bc2 dxe4 12. Nxe4 Nxe4 13. Bxe4 Nf6 is equal but boring) Nxg4! 11. Qxg4 Ne5, hitting the queen and the bishop on d3, White has no way to go but forward toward the foe: 12. Qxc8+! (the sheepish 12. Qg2 Nxd3 13. Qxd5 Bb7 14. Qg5 0-0 leaves Black with a clear edge) Qxc8 13. fxe5 0-0 14. Nf4 Qd7 — White’s kingside is airy and Black is poised for a strong queenside push, but those three active minor pieces for the queen give White all kinds of creative counterplay.
Today’s computers consistently give Black the advantage after the sacrifice, but it’s not so easy to play over the board. After 19. Bxb2 e6? (too careful at a time when Black has to be active; better was something like 19 … g5 20. Nh5 f6) 20. Ba3 Rfe8 21. Bd6 Rbc8 22. Rfc1 Qa8 23. Ba6, White bishops and knights spring to life while Black’s heavy artillery is pushed to the back rank.
Marchand gives up a rook to eliminate one advanced bishop (the score is now a queen and two pawns for Black to White’s rook, bishop and knight), but a final defensive lapse in a difficult defense costs him major material.
White targets the cornered queen on 30. exf4 Kg7? (walking into the tactic; again, more active play with 30 … h5 31. Rc3 a6 32. Rac1 Rb4 leaves the contest very much up in the air) 31. Nxe6+! fxe6 32. Bc6 Rb7 33. a6! It’s over after 33 … Qb8 34. axb7 Qxf4 35. Rc2! (snuffing out any perpetual check ideas) h5 36. Rb2 Qf3+ 37. Rg2 Qf4 38. Rb1, and Black resigns as his kingside collapses after 38 … Qb8 39. Rdg1.
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On a happier note, the chess world celebrated a milestone Feb. 8 when famed Russian GM and endgame specialist Yuri Averbakh turned 100. The world’s oldest living grandmaster was already a rising star in the years before World War II, and was still competing into his late 80s.
In a recent interview, Averbakh estimated he had played some 2,500 rated games over his lifetime. A career highlight was his victory in the 1954 USSR championship, at a time when winning the Soviet title was considered perhaps harder than becoming world champion. His victory over Soviet great GM Efim Geller from that event was played just months before Feuerstein-Marchand, and just like that game, took home the tournament brilliancy prize.
Geller’s King’s Indian Attack is a bit cheeky considering Averbakh himself did some pioneering work on the opening and has two KID systems with his name on them. By 26. Qe4 Rfd8, a lot of subtle maneuvering has produced a roughly equal position, with the Black fianchettoed bishop boasting just a bit more scope that its White counterpart. Both players miss a tactical shot after 27. Be3 Rd5 28. Rad1?! Rdb8?!, overlooking the very computer-y 28 … f5! 29. Qf3 g4 (setting up a powerful discovered check by driving the queen off the long diagonal) 30. Qe2 (Qf4 Rd4+ wins) f4!!, winning, though it was hard for ordinary grandmasters to foresee, in lines like 31. gxf4 (Bxf4 Re5+) Rxh5+ 32. Kg3 Rh3+ 33. Kg4 Qg2 mate.
The play gets back on course, but it’s impressive to watch Black slowly take over the game, grabbing space, winning the a-pawn, and frustrating all of Geller’s attempts at counterplay. A last desperate White sortie gives Averbakh, a world-class problemist and endgame expert, the opening for a clever finale.
Thus: 40. g5 (Black’s passed pawns should win, but first he must deal with White’s attack) hxg5 41. Be5 Rxe5! (the cleanest way; Black may already have worked out the final position from here) 42. dxe5 Qxe5! 43. Qxe5 Bxe5 44. Rxg5+ Kh7 Rgxe5 bxc3 46. Rb5 (see diagram; Black has four pawns for the rook, and now throws in his last rook as a bonus) Rd1!! — winning a critical tempo and forcing White’s concession as 47. Rxd1 c2 48. Rf1 c1=Q wins for Black.
Feuerstein-Marchand, New York State Championship, Binghamton, N.Y., August 1954
1. d4 d5 2. e3 Nf6 3. Bd3 c5 4. c3 Nbd7 5. f4 g6 6. Nd2 Bg7 7. Qf3 Rb8 8. Ne2 b5 9. O-O Qc7 10. g4 Nxg4 11. Qxg4 Ne5 12. Qxc8+ Qxc8 13. fxe5 O-O 14. Nf4 Qd7 15. Kh1 b4 16. Nb3 bxc3 17. Nxc5 Qc6 18. Nb3 cxb2 19. Bxb2 e6 20. Ba3 Rfe8 21. Bd6 Rbc8 22. Rfc1 Qa8 23. Ba6 Rc6 24. Nc5 Rb6 25. a4 Bf8 26. a5 Rxd6 27. exd6 Bxd6 28. Bb5 Rb8 29. Bd7 Bxf4 30. exf4 Kg7 31. Nxe6+ fxe6 32. Bc6 Rb7 33. a6 Qb8 34. axb7 Qxf4 35. Rc2 h5 36. Rb2 Qf3+ 37. Rg2 Qf4 38. Rb1 Black resigns.
Geller-Averbakh, 21st USSR Championship, Kyiv, January 1954
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d3 g6 4. g3 Bg7 5. Bg2 d6 6. O-O Nf6 7. Nbd2 O-O 8. a4 Bd7 9. Nc4 d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Re1 Qc7 12. Ng5 Nb6 13. Ne3 a5 14. h4 h6 15. Ne4 Nd4 16. h5 g5 17. c3 Nf5 18. Qb3 Nd6 19. Nd5 Nxd5 20. Qxd5 Nxe4 21. Qxe4 Rab8 22. Qd5 e6 23. Qa2 Bc6 24. Qc4 Bxg2 25. Kxg2 Qc6+ 26. Qe4 Rfd8 27. Be3 Rd5 28. Rad1 Rbd8 29. Kf1 c4 30. d4 Qxa4 31. g4 Qd7 32. Ra1 a4 33. Re2 b5 34. Rae1 b4 35. f4 gxf4 36. Bxf4 a3 37. Rg2 Qe7 38. Qe3 Qf6 39. Kg1 axb2 40. g5 hxg5 41. Be5 Rxe5 42. dxe5 Qxe5 43. Qxe5 Bxe5 44. Rxg5+ Kh7 45. Rgxe5 bxc3 46. Rb5 Rd1 White resigns.
• David R. Sands can be reached at 202/636-3178 or by email at dsands@washingtontimes.com.
