They [ Including Me ] Should Have Known Better!!
But Chess Blindness Is An Endemic Disorder.

[1] - W.O. Megier v R.R. Vernon

1996 Queensland Correspondence Chess Championship

Grob's Defence Over-Accelerated

Quite possibly this is the shortest Correspondence Chess Game ever played. I know of it, because I was the Director Of Play.

It is common for Correspondence Chessplayers to fly through the Opening, yet it is always worth taking that extra look with the eyes of beginner. Have I overlooked something very obvious?

Wolfgang Megier is a Correspondence Chess Master. Later that year, he sadly had a stroke which left him unable to play chess at his usual capacity. Russell Vernon is a better player than this game gives him credit for.

[2] - A.T. Sims v P. Saver

1983 Qualifying Tournament - Section B
Correspondence Chess League of Australia

Grünfeld Defence - Classical Variation

Paul Saver is a Correspondence Chess Candidate Master and an oversight like this is very unusual for him. While Black does get compensation for the Queen, he is still left with an inferior position.

This game was actually played using English Descriptive Notation, but I have translated it into Algebraic, which has overwhelmingly become the norm, presumably because it is easily the worst of three main chess notations.

Both following Games involve
Aron Nimzovich's beloved pins!
["My System" - First Part, Chapter 7]
When you have a brevity, pins are often involved.

[2] - A.T. Sims v C. Armitage

1983 Qualifying Tournament - Section B
Correspondence Chess League of Australia

Nimzo-Indian Defence - Rubenstein Variation

As you see, in this Tournament fate was unusually kind to me!

I played 5.Ng1-e2 attempting to avoid doubled pawns, but got them anyway. Black's 8th move was a positional error which left Black's position difficult; but his 16th move was an oversight which quite finished any hope.

Again, this game was originally played in English Descriptive.

[2] - M. Meier v A.T. Sims

1980 North Queensland Chess Championship
Round Six - ~High Noon, 6th April 1980

English Opening

To quote Britney Spears, I may excuse myself by saying: "I'm sorry. I'm very young." - Indeed, I was at the time! ... But after an expected win on the friday night, followed by three draws against higher rated opponents on saturday, then a hard fought win against Wayne Fraser of Mount Isa on sunday morning, I rather imploded in this game against Manfred Meier of Mackay! In the next & final round, I was so tired I could barely see the board clearly, & yes - I lost.

In the game against Manfred Meier, I rashly mixed the variations. Although 4. ... b7-b6 is perfectly playable, Black needs to follow it with an early e7-e6, with 0-0 on the mind; rather than with 6. ... d7-d5, which exposes the King rather badly, leading to the pin of all pins. In many other lines, an early d7-d5 is perfectly sound.

I played the above-mentioned Wayne Fraser a second time. This was in Sydney, in the Australian Open, Ist Round, on 28th December 1982. He is unlucky enough to be one of rare players that I have a perfect record against. Certainly he is a better player than that would suggest!

"If you want a "pgn" of the above games, just send an e-mail to me with "Chess" in the title [so that I do not mistake it for spam] & then specify the request.

>> oilyway@comcen.com.au