CHESS BY VICTOR STRUGO

The Elsie’s River Chess Club is appealing for donations to fund a young Capetonian who has qualified to represent South Africa in the African Youth Chess Championship in Cairo, Egypt. Charlton Mnysta (17) has been playing for 6 years and hovers around a 2100 Elo rating. Last year he won the B-Section of the 2022 Western Cape Closed and the NSSC Wintergames. This year he placed second behind Craig Willenberg in the Cape Town Open and he won both the George Open (A Section) and the Open section of the Cape Town Masters Challenge. Anyone wishing to contribute to Charlton’s participation in Cairo can find details at the following link:

https://chesswp.co.za/%F0%9F%8C%9Fempower-a-chess-prodigy-sponsorcharltons-journey-to-cairo-2023%F0%9F%8C%9F/

We should also remember the many unsung heroes who foster and inspire future champions. One such person was George Daniels who sadly passed away last month. George was instrumental in setting up chess clubs in Ravenswood, Uitsig and other under-privileged neighbourhoods. He had great fondness for speed chess, played in local leagues, coached at several schools and was for some years formally responsible for chess club development. After suffering a stroke some years ago, chess and chess friends continued to sustain his morale. His obituary fittingly describes his enduring love for the game: “We will play at this game called life until our clocks run out.” Sometimes this happens too early.

Today’s archival game from the 1959 SA Championship features a line of the so-called Frankenstein-Dracula Variation analysed (back then) by the American master Weaver Adams.

David Isaacson - Kenneth Kirby [Vienna Game]: 1 e4 e5 2 Nc3 Nf6 3 Bc4 Nxe4 4 Qh5 Nd6 5 Bb3 Nc6 6 Nb5 g6 7 Qf3 f5 8 Qd5 Qe7 9 Nxc7+ Kd8 10 Nxa8 b6 11

Ne2 Bb7 12 Qf3 Bxa8 (Black has to prove that his development advantage is enough compensation for the exchange) 13 Qh3

Bg7 (Annotating this game, Kurt Dreyer suggested the superior 13 … h5, intending to harass Her Majesty further with … g5 etc) 14 Bd5?! Ne8?! 15 O-O Nc7 16 Bxc6 Bxc6 17 a4 Qc5? (17 … f4! looks very promising. Played later, it loses its effect) 18 c3 Ne6 19 b4 Qd5 20 d3 f4 21 c4 Qd6 22 b5 Bb7 23 Ba3 Qc7 24 Nc3 Bf6 25 Qg4 Nc5 26 Bxc5 Qxc5 27 Ne4 Qe7 28 a5 Bg7 29 axb6 axb6 30 Ra7 Kc8 31 Nc3 (31 Qf3 wins faster) 31 … Qd6?

(31 … Kb8! repels the immediate threats) 32 Qd1 Rf8 33 Qa4 f3 (Too little too late) 34

Rxb7 Kxb7 35 Qa6+ Black resigned.