Entertainment, Instruction, Amusement, or Art?
If correspondence chess, as Purdy noted, is the perfect form of the game, then what are miniature games? Are they the cartoons in the drama of chess, or epiphanies of the imagination? Are they gemstones reflecting brilliance, or hors d'oeuvres to be snacked on before the main course?
However you view them - entertainment, instruction, amusement, or art, - it is time once again for the yearly presentation of postal chess miniatures. Decide for yourself. Let the games begin!
SLAV DEFENSE [D13]
W: J. Franklin Campbell (2053)
B: Richard McLaughlin (2308)
14th USCCC, 1998
1. Nf3 d5 2. c4 c6 3. cxd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. Nc3 Nc6 6. Bf4 Qb6 7. Na4 Qb4+ 8. Bd2 Qd6 9. e3 Bf5 10. Rc1 Rc8 11. Qb3 b6 12. Bb5 Bd7 13. Ne5 Rc7 14. Bxc6 Bxc6 15. Rxc6 Rxc6 16. Qb5 Nd7 17. Qxc6, Black resigns.
SLAV DEFENSE [D10]
W: Chuck Ventimiglia
B: Weldon MacDonald
IECC, 1999
1. d4 d5 2. c4 c6 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. e3 Bf5 5. cxd5 cxd5 6. Qb3 Qd7 7. Nf3 Nc6 8. Ne5 Qd6 9. Qxb7, Black resigns.
BLACKMAR-DIEMER GAMBIT [D00]
W: D. Rozzoni
B: J. Kreutz
Italy-Austria CC Match, 1999
1. d4 d5 2. e4 dxe4 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 Bg4 6. h3 Bxf3 7. Qxf3 Nc6 8. Bb5 Qd6 9. d5 a6 10. Bf4 e5 11. 0-0-0 axb5 12. Nxb5 Qd7 13. dxc6 Qxc6 14. Qxc6+ bxc6 15. Nxc7+ Ke7 16. Nxa8 Ke6 17. Nc7+ Kf5 18. Bh2 Bc5 19. Rhf1+, Black resigns.
Todd Masuda is a New York City artist who admits he plays the Alekhine-Chatard Attack because he thinks it is a beautiful name for an opening. Here he shows beauty can also be powerful.
FRENCH DEFENSE [C13]
W: Todd Masuda (1931)
B: Ed Mrosla (1983)
USCFCC, 1998
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. h4 Bxg5 7. hxg5 Qxg5 8. Nh3 Qe7 9. Nf4 a6 10. Qg4 g6 11. Bd3 Nb6 12. a4 N8d7 13. a5 Nc4 14. Bxc4 dxc4 15. 0-0-0 Nf8 16. Qf3 Qb4 17. d5 Qxa5 18. Kb1 Qb6 19. d6 Bd7 20. Nfd5, Black resigns.
David Heap knew how to play our postal game. Here he dismantles an old antagonist. Ratings are updated.
SICILIAN DEFENSE [B94]
W: David Heap (2298)
B: Robert Barry (2420)
Hawver Cup, 1986
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Bg5 Nbd7 7. Bc4 h6 8. Bxf6 Nxf6 9. Qe2 e6 10. 0-0-0 Qc7 11. f4 b5 12. Bb3 b4 13. e5 dxe5 14. fxe5 Nd7 15. Nd5 Qc5 16. Rhe1 Ra7 17. Nxe6 Qa5 18. Nec7+, Black resigns.
FRENCH DEFENSE [C18]
W: Jedd Hunt (2054)
B: Ronald Ellis (2110)
14th USCCC, 1998
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Qc7 7. Qg4 f6 8. Bb5+ Kf8 9. Nf3 c4 10. a4 a6 11. Ba3+ Kf7 12. Ng5+ fxg5 13. Qh5+ g6 14. Qf3+ Nf6 15. Qxf6+, Black resigns.
GRUENFELD DEFENSE [D90]
W: Harriet Hamilton (1709)
B: Gregg Guffrey (1775)
APCT, 1999
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. Nc3 d5 5. cxd5 Nxd5 6. Qb3 Nxc3 7. Qxc3 b6 8. e4 c5 9. Bb5+ Bd7 10. Bxd7+ Qxd7 11. Ne5 cxd4, White resigns.
A game from when postcards were a penny and the future world champion was young.
KING'S INDIAN DEFENSE [E60]
W: J. Sullivan
B: Hans Berliner
Golden Knights, 1956
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nf3 Bg7 4. b3 0-0 5. Bb2 d6 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Be2 e5 8. dxe5 dxe5 9. Nxe5 Ne4 10. f4 Bxe5 11. fxe5 Qh4+ 12. g3 Nxg3 13. Qd4 Ne4+ 14. Kd1 c5, White resigns.
BUDAPEST DEFENSE [A51]
W: K. Kietlinski
B: J. Szelag
Poland CC, 1999
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e5 3. dxe5 Ne4 4. Nf3 d6 5. exd6 Bxd6 6. Qc2 Bf5 7. g4 Bb4+ 8. Nc3 Nxc3 9. gxf5 Ne4+ 10. Bd2 Nxd2 11. Nxd2 Nc6 12. Rd1 Qh4 13. a3 Nd4 14. Qa4+ b5 15. Bg2 bxa4 16. Bxa8 Qh5 17. 0-0 Bxd2 18. Rxd2 Qg5+ 19. Kh1 Qxd2, White resigns.
CARO-KANN DEFENSE [B13]
W: Angus Lo
B: Gabriel Mendosa
Correspondence Classic, 1999
1. e4 c6 2. c4 d5 3. exd5 cxd5 4. d4 Nf6 5. c5 Nc6 6. Nf3 b6 7. Bb5 Bd7 8.
0-0 e6 9. Be3 bxc5 10. dxc5 Ne4 11. Qa4 Qc8 12. Rc1 e5 13. Nbd2 f5 14. Nxe5 Nxe5 15. c6 Be6 16. c7+ Bd7 17. Bxd7+ Nxd7 18. Qc6, Black resigns.
This year's Oops Award goes to the following brevity. Black resigns before his queen is smother mated.
SICILIAN DEFENSE [B27]
W: Doron Federman
B: Gary White
IECC, 1999
1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 g6 3. Bc4 e6 4. Nc3 Bg7 5. d4 b6 6. Nb5 Ne7 7. Bf4 0-0 8. Bc7, Black resigns.
VIENNA GAME [C26]
W: Henkes Houston
B: Theofel Heiner
IECG, 1999
1. e4 e5 2. Bc4 Bc5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. d3 d6 5. f4 Ng4 6. f5 h5 7. Nh3 Qh4+ 8. Kf1 Nf2 9. Qe1, Black resigns.
Jon Edwards presents the following opening disaster from his excellent book The Chess Analyst.
DANISH GAMBIT [C21]
W: T. Hauser
B: D. Callahan
APCT, 1993
1. e4 e5 2. d4 exd4 3. Nf3 c5 4. c3 dxc3 5. Nxc3 Nc6 6. Bc4 h6 7. Bf4 a6 and White announced mate in six starting with 8. Bxf7+.
TWO KNIGHTS' DEFENSE [C57]
W: G. Koller
B: Vincenzo Rezzuti (2350)
Austria-Italy Match, 1999
1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 Bc5 5. Bxf7+ Ke7 6. Bd5 Rf8 7. 0-0 d6 8. c3 Bg4 9. Qb3 h6 10. d4 Bb6 11. h3 Qd7 12. hxg4 hxg5 13. Bxg5 Qxg4 14. Bxc6 Qxg5 15. Bxb7 Ng4 16. c4 Rxf2 17. Rd1 Qf4, White resigns.
It's only a draw, but how else can both players have so much fun?
OWEN'S DEFENSE [B00]
W: Olaf Voss
B: Gerald Zimmer
Correspondence 1999
1. e4 b6 2. d4 Bb7 3. Bd3 e6 4. Nc3 f5 5. exf5 Bxg2 6. Qh5+ g6 7. fxg6 Bg7 8. gxh7+ Kf8 9. hxg8=Q+ Kxg8 10. Qg4 Bxh1 11. Bg5 Qe8 12. Bf6 Qf7 13. Ne4 Rh6 14. Bg5 Rxh2 15. Nf6+ Kf8 16. Nh7+ Kg8 17. Nf6+ Kf8, draw.
KING'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED [C33]
W: Daniel Davis (1200)
B: Bob Shearer (1800)
ASPCC Match, 1999
1. f4 e5 2. e4 exf4 3. Bc4 Qh4+ 4. Kf1 Nf6 5. Nf3 Qg4? 6. Bxf7+ Ke7 7. h3 Qg3 8. Nc3 Kxf7 9. Ne2 Nxe4 10. Nxg3 Nxg3+ 11. Kg1 Nxh1 12. d4 Bd6 13. Ne5+ Kf6 14. Bxf4 Rf8 15. Bg5+ Kxg5 16. Qg4+ Kf6 17. Rf1+ Ke7 18. Qxg7+ Ke6 19. Qh6+ Kd5 20. c4+, Black resigns.