Robert Byrne, 1928-2013

Obituary in the New York Times.

Byrne, for many years the Times's chess columnist was a former U.S. Champion; in the 1970s, he was one of the top players in the world (his third place in the 1973 Leningrad Interzonal was probably the best American performance of the seventies outside of Fischer).

To do this after age forty was quite an accomplishment.  Dmitry Gurevich once told me that Byrne took his academic training and applied it to chess.  He was versatile: not many players were equally at home in the Najdorf Sicilian (6.Be3!) and the Winawer French.

Many Chicago players met Byrne at the 1994 U.S. Open: he was modest and personable.

Colley Kitson, rest in peace

The Illinois chess community lost Colley Kitson on Tuesday: his obituary is in today's Decatur Herald & Review.  Colley was only 45.

The pedantic might note that the obit overstates his playing strength: Colley was barely a Class B player in blitz play, and high Class C over the board.  But a passion for the game matters far more than results: Colley opened Colley's Chess Cafe in downtown Bloomington, where he coached many young players, including his five USCF-rated children.  He went to Germany to kibitz the Anand-Kramnik world championship match.  He had an amazing collection of chess sets.  He was an amateur in the highest sense of the word: a lover of the game.

And Colley shared his love with others: before he opened Colley's Chess Cafe, he edited the Illinois Chess Bulletin for several years, he was secretary of the ICA and a tireless ICA volunteer, and a tournament director at national scholastic events. Colley gave far more to the game than most masters do.

Of course, chess is not life: Colley was a kind and honest person, generous with his time, and always fun to talk to. When I found myself in an ethical quandary in 2006, Colley sent me an email which read in part:

How about we just play some fun chess—no bickering, just hang out with people who want to have fun and a couple laughs.

Your entry fee is on me—at any of the events below—no stress allowed.  You may owe me a hearty handshake.

Though Colley lived in the Twin Cities and, in the last years of his life, Decatur, he had many friends in Chicago.  Glenn Panner started this Facebook thread for his Chicago friends to leave remembrances.

Nothing we can say could ever repair the loss felt by Colley's children, Hannah, Michaela, Jason, Sarah, and Levi, by his mother Jerriann, and by his family and closest friends.  But it is better to lose a good person too soon than never to have known that person.

Morris Giles, 1953-2012

Story on The Chess Drum.  I am just stunned.  FM Morris Giles was a genius and a gentleman: I will miss him.

Much more to follow. For now, here's Giles's masterpiece (and arguably the most brilliant game ever played by a Chicagoan): he beats six-time U.S. Champion Walter Browne on Browne's home turf, the Najdorf Sicilian, with a positional piece sacrifice for an enduring light-square attack, then a queen sacrifice leading to a smothered bishop mate.

Giles,Morris (2451) - Browne,Walter (2617) [B98] 
U.S. Open, Boston, 1988
[GM Robert Byrne]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 

The most aggressive attack against the Najdorf Sicilian is 6 Bg5, which inhibits the original intention of this sharp, counterattacking defense - 6...e5? - which would yield White a hammerlock on the center after 7 Nf5. Nevertheless, the criterion of 6 Bg5 is whether it leads to more victories than the almost-as-ambitious 6 f4 or 6 Bc4 or the conservative 6 Be2 or 6 Be3 or 6 a4. The verdict is not yet in.

6...e6 7.f4 Be7 8.Qf3 Nbd7

Developing with 8 . . . Nbd7?! has been considered so bad that the leading texts on the Najdorf refuse to analyze it. The unanimous opinion is that Black must prevent the potent 9 Bc4 by 8...Qc7 Yet Browne had played it at least twice before, against the grandmaster Nick DeFirmian in last year's [i.e., 1987's] United States invitational championship and also against the international master Patrick Wolff in Philadelphia last year. It is remarkable that on both occasions, his opponents chose the forgiving 9 O-O-O, allowing him to reach regular lines of play with 9 . . . Qc7.

9.Bc4 

Giles was not so generous, but played 9 Bc4 with the intention of breaking up the black formation.

9...h6

9...Qc7 10.Bxe6 fxe6 11.Nxe6 followed by 12 Ng7 and 13 Nf5. On 9 . . . h6, Giles, of course, could not make any immediate sacrifice.

10.Bxf6 Bxf6 

Browne could not recapture with 10...Nxf6 11.f5 e5 12.Nde2 which gives White a hammerlock on the d5 square.

11.0–0–0 Qb6 

White to play

12.Nxe6!? fxe6 13.Bxe6

It is more than likely that Browne had prepared and relied upon 10 . . . Bf6 11 O-O-O Qb6 to get him through the opening without incident. But he must have minimized Giles's sacrifice with 12 Ne6!? fe 13 Be6, opening the black king position and achieving a powerful grip on the light squares.

13...Nf8

 Browne could not play 13...Ne5, as 14.Qh3 Nd7 15.e5 Be7 16.Nd5 is overwhelming.

14 Bb3 Be6

What is remarkable is that even after Browne had plugged the worst gaps in his position with 13...Nf8 and 14...Be6, Giles was still coming.

15.e5! dxe5 16.fxe5 Bg5+ 17.Kb1 Rd8 18.h4 Be7 

19.Ba4+! 

A devastating shot, one point being that 19 . . . Bd7? would be smashed by 20 Rhf1 Qg6 21 h5!

19...Nd7 20.Nd5 Qa5

It was futile to play 20...Bxd5 21.Qxd5 Qc7 because 22.e6 b5 leads to mate after 23.Qh5+.

21.Rhf1 Rf8 22.Qh5+ Rf7 23.Bb3 g6 24.Qxg6 Nf8 

Now Giles abruptly ended the struggle:

White to play

25.Nc7+! Qxc7 26.Qxf7+

 In the face of 26 . . . Bf7 27 Bf7 mate, Browne gave up.

1–0

Fidel Serrano, Jr.

I'm sorry to report that we've lost another member of our community. Fidel Serrano was a paramedic for the Chicago Fire Department, one of the people who risk their own safety to protect us.

Details are sketchy, but I believe that Fidel passed away (reportedly from a heart attack) on Sunday, his 41st birthday, and possibly (this too is unconfirmed) in the line of duty. Our condolences to Fidel's family and many friends.

UPDATE:  Visitation will be at 8300 W. Lawrence in Norridge, 3 p.m. to 9 p.m. both Thursday and Friday.   Funeral Mass will be at 10 a.m Saturday, St. Eugene's, 7958 W. Foster, Chicago.  More info here.  Our deepest condolences to Fidel's parents and his brother.

Fidel G. Serrano Jr. Air Force Veteran, Died Suddenly August 26, 2012. Fidel was a Firefighter with the City of Chicago. He is survived by his parents, Venecia Nee GAL-LANG Serrano and Fidel H. Serrano Sr. and His Brother Alen Serrano. Visitation for Fidel will be Thursday and Friday from 3:00 - 9:00 p.m. and funeral prayers will be said Saturday at 9:00 a.m. at the funeral home, Preceeding to St. Eugene Catholic Church for mass at 10:00 a.m. Committal service and military Honors will follow at Acacia Park Cemetery Interment Chapel. 

Svetozar Gligorić 1923-2012

Gligorić-Fischer, Portoroz 1958
www.echecs-photos.be

Svetozar Gligorić, the greatest chess player in Serbian and Yugoslav history, died today at the age of 89, having lived an amazing life: resistance fighter, journalist, author, polyglot, amateur musician and songwriter, opening theorist, World Championship Candidate, and one of Bobby Fischer's lifelong friends.  Story at The Week in Chess: check out Wikipedia and ChessVibes for more.

Of the participants in the great Zurich 1953.Candidates tournament, we still have Averbakh and Taimanov.

"A Note from Your Captain"

It's 3:30 a.m. I can't sleep and I'm heartbroken.

This would be a good post for young readers to skip.  (Text after the jump.)

"Chicago's Ron Washington, 1951-2012"

Daaim Shabazz remembers Ron (click to read) .

Ron in 2007; swiped from The Knights of Castle Kimbark

"Chess hustler of North Ave. Beach drowned in Lake Michigan"

7-18-06 Chess Pavilion on the Lakefront at North Avenue. Ron Washington (Left) and Daniel Jones (Right) enjoy an evening of warm weather and chess as citizens come out and play and take to the bike paths. Photo by Scott Stewart/Sun-Times

Photo and story (follow this link) copyright Chicago Sun-Times.

Ron Washington: Gone but not forgotten

This impromptu memorial was set up at the Pavilion today:

And here are a few of Ron's friends who gathered to honor his memory today:

David Franklin, who sent these photos, writes, "Another, bigger, memorial will take place this coming Friday, August 3, 5 p.m. at the pavilion at North Avenue Beach." It's likely that there will be another memorial service on Saturday at Christian Funeral Home (3100 W. Irving Park), but that's only tentative...more tomorrow.

Sad news

Updated 2:46 p.m.  it's confirmed that our friend Ron Washington drowned in Lake Michigan on Friday.

At 2 p.m., [North Avenue Beach] lifeguards attempted to rescue 61-year-old Ronald Washington, a former collegiate hoopster and self-described chess “hustler” who for years had been a fixture near the beach.

Washington, of the 100 block of West Maple Street, was fully clothed when a lifeguard pulled him from the water near 1400 N. Lake Shore Drive, according to police and park district spokespeople.

Washington was pronounced dead at 4:30 p.m. at Northwestern Hospital.

Earlier report (without Ron's name) on the WGNTV website.

Much more later: enjoy your summer day, but please enjoy it safely.

Jacqueline Piatigorsky obituary in L.A. Times

What a life!

Isaac Braswell, rest in peace

 Isaac Braswell at the USAT North, February 18, 2012

(Maret Thorpe)

Our teammate and friend Isaac Braswell died last Friday.  Cherish your friends.

Update 3/10/12: Isaac's aunt is in town making arrangements.  We are trying to contact her via Lawson YMCA.  Lawson itself is planning a memorial, probably on Tuesday.  That's all I know at the moment: would appreciate info from those who know more.

Update 3/10 p.m (unconfirmed as of now, per a kind anon in comments).: the Lawson YMCA memorial service for Isaac will be held this Tuesday March 13th at 30 W.Chicago Avenue at 11:00 a.m.

More later....

Ricardo Szmetan, 1952-2010

Sad news.  Sevan Muradian writes:

For those of you that may have known him, I just learned that Dr. Ricardo Szmetan, originally from Barbados, passed away on December 31, 2010.

Ricardo had a PhD in Latin American Studies and recently completed a MS in Library Sciences at University of Illinois Champaign-Urbana. He was also a FIDE Master.

While Szmetan was indeed the 2002 national champion of Barbados, he was of Argentinian descent (not sure where he was born--were his parents part of the Central European Jewish diaspora?).  His Midwest tournament victories included the 2008 Greater Peoria Open and the 2007 David Mote Memorial, and he played in numerous master-level events in Chicago over the decades.

Our condolences to the Taylor family

To lose a loved one is always painful.  But to lose such a fine young man as Choice Taylor, who was a senior at Maine West....there are no words.

Story here.  Our condolences to the Taylor family and to his friends at Maine West.