In Memoriam
                          Bob Bornholz

There are many ways of memorializing a person who has passed away.  At the
Club's recent annual membership meeting, there was a moment of silence in honor
of the late Bob Bornholz, who was one of Pittsburgh's strongest players for
many years.  "It's ironic that they had a moment of silence", said one of our
veterans, "because while he was at the club, there was never a moment of
silence!"

I had three exciting games with Bob Bornholz in the 1970's.  One of them was
unfortunately not publishable because it was decided by a gross blunder.  But
the two other games, one win for him and one for me, show off his creativity
and good chess sense.  I am glad for this opportunity to publish a little of
Bob Bornholz's real contribution to Pittsburgh chess.

Pittsburgh Chess League
February 15, 1975
White: Bruce Leverett, CMU
Black: Bob Bornholz, Pittsburgh Chess Club

1 d4 Nf6
2 c4 g6
3 Nc3 Bg7
4 Nf3 O-O
5 g3 d6
6 Bg2 c6
7 O-O Qc7

This is novel.  More conventional ways of enforcing ... e5 are 8 ... Nbd7 and
8 ... Qa5.

8 Qc2 e5
9 Rd1 Na6
10 h3 Be6

Black sees that 11 d5 just loses the pawn!

11 b3 Rfe8
12 dxe5?

This is pointless.  White trades his d4-pawn for Black's d6-pawn.  Which do you
think is better?  White should preserve his space advantage with 12 e4.

12 ... dxe5
13 Be3 Bf5
14 Qd2 Rad8
15 Qe1 Nb4
16 Rxd8 Rxd8
17 Rd1 Re8
18 Qd2 Nc2
19 Nh4

What was I thinking of?  19 Bh6 looks natural.

19 ... Nxe3
20 Qxe3 Bc8
21 Nf3

White declines 21 Qxa7 because of 21 ... e4 (threatening 22 ... g5) 22 Qe3 h6!

21 ... Nd7
22 Ne4

And now 22 Qxa7 e4 23 Nd4 e3! gives Black plenty for the pawn.  As strange as
22 Ne4 seems, it is the only constructive thing left to do in the position.

22 ... f5

22 ... Bf8? 23 Rxd7!

23 Nd6 Re6
24 Nxc8 Qxc8
25 Qxa7

This too is necessary.  White cannot avoid a severe disadvantage in space and he
might as well get something for it.

25 ... e4
26 Ng5 Re8
27 h4

Black threatened 27 ... h6.

27 ... Ne5
28 Qc5 Bf8
29 Qd4 Bg7
30 Qd2

Would Black have taken the draw by 30 Qc5 Bf8?  It's anybody's guess.

30 ... h6
31 Nh3 Kh7
32 Nf4 Bf8
33 Qc1 Qa8
34 Rd6?

The last thing White should do is to start a little adventure that leaves his
rook trapped behind enemy lines.

34 ... Bg7
35 Qd2? Bf8!
36 Re6 Rd8
37 Qb2 Qa5

Black owns the whole board.  The immediate threat is 38 ... Qe1+ (but not
38 ... Rd2? 39 Rxe5).  White's next move fails to prevent this, but there wasn't
anything to save the game any more.

38 Nd5 Qe1+
39 Bf1 Ng4
40 e3 cxd5
41 Rb6 Rd7
42 cxd5 Bc5
43 Rb5 Nxe3
44 fxe3 Qxe3+
45 Kh2 Qg1+
   Resigns



This game also appeared in the May 1978 issue of En Passant,
with notes by me.

Pittsburgh Chess League
April 30, 1978
White:  Bob Bornholz, Pittsburgh Chess Club
Black:  Bruce Leverett, CMU

1 c4 e6
2 d4 Nf6
3 Nf3 d5
4 Nc3 Be7
5 Bg5 O-O
6 e3 h6
7 Bh4 b6

This is the Tartakower variation.  It's a little more promising than the
lines with 6 ... Nbd7, which were already ancient when I learned them as a
beginner.  I won some nice games with the Tartakower in the 1970's, including
one against Icelandic IM (now GM) Helgi Olafsson.  I wonder why I gave it up.

8 cxd5

The other winning tries are variations where White gives up the two bishops,
such as 8 Qb3 (or 8 Rc1 or even 8 Be2 as I recently tried against Andy Rea)
Bb7 9 Bxf6 Bxf6 10 cxd5 exd5, etc.  White can play in a more relaxed style
with moves like 8 Rc1 Bb7 9 Bd3; the game becomes about even.

8 ... Nxd5
9 Bxe7 Qxe7
10 Nxd5 exd5
11 Qb3

At the time of this game the most important variation I knew was from 
Timman-Geller, Hilversum 1973:  11 Rc1 Be6 12 Qa4 c5 13 Qa3 Rc8 14 Bb5!?
(introduced by Fischer in his 1972 match with Spassky) 14 ... Qb7!  An
elegant pawn sacrifice.  15 dxc5 bxc5 16 Rxc5 Rxc5 17 Qxc5 Na6 18 Bxa6 Qxa6
gave Black good compensation.

11 ... Be6
12 Rc1 Rc8
13 Be2

White's Bb5 doesn't make any sense here, since Black hasn't yet moved his
c-pawn (he could simply answer 13 ... c6).  How did that happen?  White's
11 Qb3 blocked his b-pawn, so he couldn't threaten to move it to b4, so
Black could take his time about playing ... c5.  An interesting subtlety.
But my opponent probably wasn't interested in the early Bb5 lines anyway.

13 ... c5
14 dxc5 bxc5
15 Qa3 Nd7

In a similar position (without the exchange of pawns on c5), BCO suggests
that Black unpin the c-pawn by 15 ... a5 16 O-O Qa7!? as in Karpov-Kavalek,
Linares 1981.

16 O-O

16 Nd4? Qg5!

16 ... Qf6!??

Black would normally unpin the c-pawn while keeping an eye on it with
something like 16 ... Qf8.  The text move tries to cut the Gordian knot,
abandoning the c-pawn for White's b-pawn.  But I think that 17 b3 would have
exposed the fallacy of this idea.

17 Bb5 Ne5

Black must play this, though it is rather drawish.  After 17 ... Nb6
18 Rxc5 Rxc5 19 Qxc5 Qxb2 20 a4 Rc8 21 Qd6, the threat of 22 Nd4 is powerful.
Likewise 17 ... c4 18 Bxd7! Bxd7 19 Nd4 would be just what White wants.

But now, White has nothing better than 18 Nxe5 Qxe5, and either 19 Rxc5 Rxc5
20 Qxc5 Qxb2 21 a4 a5, or 19 b3 c4, leaves Black with little to fear.

18 Nd2? c4!

Trying too hard to win, White may already be losing.  A sample of what could
be in store is 19 b3? a6! 20 Ba4 c3 21 Nb1 c2 22 Nd2 Nd3.  Instead, 19 e4
looks logical, but 19 ... Rab8 20 Ba6 (20 Ba4 Nd3) Rc6 threatens 20 ... Rbb6.

19 f4?!? Nd3
20 Rc2 Rab8
21 Ba6 Nb4

Probably 21 ... Rc6, threatening both 22 ... Nb4 and 21 ... Rbb6, was more
convincing.

22 Bxc8 Nxc2
23 Qa4 Nxe3
24 Qxa7 Rxc8
25 Qxe3 Bf5!

I didn't care to find out if White could get adequate counterplay after
25 ... Qxb2 26 f5.

26 b3

If 26 Qa3 Qd4+.  The best chance may have been 26 Qc3.  Then, exchanging
queens may win but seems unnecessarily difficult:  26 ... Qxc3 27 bxc3 Ra8
28 Ra1 Ra3 29 Nb1 Bxb1 30 Rxb1 Rxa2 31 Rd1, etc.  Instead, after 26 ... Qb6+
27 Kh1 d4 28 Qa3 c3 29 bxc3 dxc3 30 Nb3 c2, Black's control of the whole
board should assure the win.

26 ... d4
27 Qf3 c3
28 Nc4 d3
29 g4 Qd4+
30 Qe3 Rxc4
31 Qxd4 Rxd4
   Resigns