Check is in the Mail<br>
by FIDE Master Alex Dunneex<br>
maillard and duliba co-champs</p>

The 1998 USCF Absolute Championship has ended in a tie between ICCM Bill Maillard and ICCM-elect Edward Duliba. In a protracted finish, the last game left was the contest between Maillard and Duliba. When the closing deadline for the Absolute came and went, the game was ruled a draw by virtue of Rule 16. <br>
This is the premiere USCF correspondence tournament and an argument can be made that the remaining games should be played to a finish or at least adjudicated. In previous Absolutes, the USCF notified the players by postcard when time had expired. Not this time.<br>
Bill Maillard, 57, has played postal chess since 1964. He has had a number of high finishes in the Golden Knights including a tie for first in the 1973 Championship, and has represented the U.S. in two Olympiads, two North Atlantic Team tournaments, and two Pan Am tournaments. His chess style tends to be more strategic than attacking.<br>
Edward Duliba, 47, has a Ph. D. in Chemistry from the University of Illinois. He tied for first in the 1992 Golden Knights Championship. Currently playing for the U.S. in the Pan Am Tournament, Edward is appalled by short draws, believing that people playing for the U.S. in international play should be willing to fight for every single game. His chess style favors attacking formations and gambits.</p>

RUY LOPEZ	 [C68]<br>
W:	Bill Maillard (2419)<br>
B:	Edward Duliba (2552)<br>
1998 Absolute Championship</p>

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 a6 4. Bxc6 dxc6 5. 0-0 Qd6 6. Na3 b5 7. b3 Bg4 8. h3 Bh5 9. Bb2 f6 10. Re1 Rd8 11. Nb1 Qc5 12. c3 Qb6 13. d3 Ne7 14. Re3 c5 15. Nbd2 Nc6 16. Qc2 Be7 17. Nf1 c4?!<br>
Encouraged by White's apparent lack of aggression, Black overextends his queenside.<br>
18. dxc4 Bc5 19. Re2 bxc4 20. b4 Be7 21. Ne3 Bxf3 22. gxf3 Nb8 23. Rd2 0-0 24. Rad1 Qe6 25. Rxd8 Bxd8 26. Qd2 Be7 <br>
If Black munches with 26. ... Qxh3, White plays 27. Qd5+ Kh8 28. Qxd8.<br>
27. Qd5 Kf7 28. Nxc4 c6 29. Qxe6+ Kxe6 30. Bc1 c5 31. a3 cxb4 32. cxb4 Rc8 33. Nb6 Rc6 34. Nd5 Bd6 35. Be3 Rc4 36. Kf1 f5 37. exf5+ Kxf5 38. Bh6!?<br>
This leads to an endgame with three isolated Black pawns.<br>
38. ... Rh4 39. Bxg7 Rxh3 40. Kg2 Rh5 41. Bf6 Ke6 42. Nc3 Rh6 43. Ne4 Rg6+ 44. Kf1 Bf8 45. Bg5 Nd7 46. Rc1 Kf7 47. Rc7 Ke8 48. Ke2 h6 49. Bh4 Rb6 50. Ra7 Rc6 51. Kd3 h5 52. Ng3 Rd6+ 53. Ke2 Rc6 54. Kf1 Rb6 55. Kg2 Rd6 56. Kh3 Rd3 57. Rxa6 Rxf3 58. Kg2 Rf4 59. Bg5 Rg4 60. Be3 Kf7 61. Kh3 Be7 62. Nf5<br>
White forces off another enemy piece.<br>
62. ... Bf8 63. Nh6+ Bxh6 64. Bxh6 Rg1 65. a4 Rh1+ 66. Kg2 Rb1 67. b5 Nc5 68. Ra7+ Ke6 69. Be3 Kd5 70. Bxc5 Kxc5 71. Rh7 Kb4 72. Rxh5 e4 73. Rh4 Kxa4 74. Rxe4+ Kxb5 75. Kg3 Kc6 76. Rd4 Rg1+ 77. Kh4 Kc5 78. Rd2 Rf1 79. Kg5 Rg1+ 80. Kf5 Rg2 81. Ke4 Kc6 82. Ke3 Rh2 83. Rd8 Rh7 84. f3 Re7+ </p>


According to Maillard, at this point he contacted the USCF to inquire about the end of the tournament. "Soon," he was told.<br>
85. Kf4 Rf7+ 86. Kg4 Rg7+ 87. Kh5 Rf7 88. Rd3 Rf8 89. Kg5 Rg8+ 90. Kf5 Rf8+ 91. Ke6 Re8+ 92. Kf7 Re5 93. Kf6 Re8 94. f4 Rf8+<br>
This position is a win as given on page 220 of Secrets of Rook Endings by John Nunn.<br>
At this point the tournament was declared over and the game was ruled a draw, and with the draw, Duliba and Maillard were declared the 1998 Absolute co-champions.</p>

g If you want to read a book that shows what the best correspondence players go through to play at the top of their game, Tim Harding's new book 64 Great Chess Games (catalog #BC832HP, list price $19.95, member price $17.95) takes the best correspondence games of the last 130 years and annotates them in correspondence-depth. Tim Harding has written a postal masterpiece. This is good stuff. I can recommend this book to any aspiring correspondence player. Buy this book! <br>
g Two pawn avalanches, one on the kingside and one on the queenside, produce exciting chess!</p>

FRENCH DEFENSE	 [C18]<br>
W:	Jan Willem van Willigen (2363)<br>
B:	John Knudsen (2485)<br>
ICCF 2001<br>
1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. e5 c5 5. a3 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 Ne7 7. Qg4 Qc7 8. Qxg7 Rg8 9. Qxh7 cxd4 10. Ne2 Nbc6 11. f4 Bd7 12. Qd3 dxc3 13. Rb1 d4 14. Nxd4 Nxd4 15. Qxd4 Nf5 16. Qf2 Bc6 17. Rg1 0-0-0 18. Bd3 Rxd3 19. cxd3 Qd8 20. Rb4 Qxd3 21. Qe2 Qd5 22. Qc4 a5 23. Qxd5 exd5 24. Rb3 d4 25. g4 b5 26. Kf2 Ne7 27. f5 Kc7 28. h4 Kb6 29. Bg5 Nd5 30. Rbb1 Kc5 31. Rbe1 b4 32. e6 fxe6 33. axb4+ axb4 34. fxe6 b3 35. Bc1 b2 36. g5 bxc1=Q, White resigns.</p>

g Edward Duliba loves gambit play and attacking chess, but he shows in this game the defensive skills necessary to play at the top of the heap.</p>
<p>
BLACKMAR-DIEMER GAMBIT	 [D00]<br>
W:	Peter Cullen (2393)<br>
B:	Edward Duliba (2552)<br>
1998 Absolute</p>

1. d4 Nf6 2. Nc3 d5 3. e4 dxe4 4. f3 exf3 5. Nxf3 Bf5 6. Ne5 e6 7. g4 Bg6 8. Qf3 c6 9. g5 Bh5 10. Qf4 Nfd7 11. Be2 Nxe5 12. Bxh5 Ng6 13. Bxg6 hxg6 14. <br>
0-0 Qd7 15. Ne4 Na6 16. c3 c5 17. Be3 Nc7 18. dxc5 Nd5 19. Qf2 Nxe3 20. Qxe3 Qc7 21. Rf2 Rd8 22. b4 Rd5 23. c4 Rf5 24. Rd1 Be7 25. Qd4 Rxf2 26. Qxf2 0-0 27. Qg3 Qc6 28. Qe3 Qc7 29. Qg3 Rc8 30. Nd6 Rd8 31. Qf4 Bf8 32. Rd4 Rd7 33. Nb5 Qxf4 34. Rxf4 a5 35. a3 e5 36. Re4 f6 37. Kf2 Kf7 38. Ke2 Ke6 39. Re3 axb4 40. axb4 f5 41. Rd3 Be7 42. h4 Rxd3 43. Kxd3 Kd7 44. Nc3 Bd8 45. Nd5 Bc7 46. Nxc7 Kxc7 47. b5 Kd8 48. Ke3 e4 49. Kf4 Kc7, draw.<br>
g When Black positions all his pieces against the White king, White defends, but when Black throws in just one extra pawn ...</p>

FRENCH DEFENSE	 [C14]<br>
W:	Dan Bell, Jr. (1976)<br>
B:	Greg Wilder (1849)<br>
Correspondence 2002</p>

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. f4 a6 8. Nf3 c5 9. Qd2 Nc6 10. 0-0-0 b5 11. dxc5 Qxc5 12. g4 0-0 13. Bg2 Bb7 14. Qd3 Rfc8 15. Ng5 Nf8 16. Rhf1 b4 17. Na4 Qa5 18. b3 h6 19. Nf3 Ne7 20. Nd4 Bc6 21. Nxc6 Rxc6 22. h4 Rac8 23. Rf2 Qc7 24. Rdd2 Nd7 25. h5 Nc5 26. Nxc5 Rxc5 27. Kb1 a5 28. Qe2 a4 29. bxa4 Qc6 30. Qe3 Qxa4 31. Qb3 Qa5 32. Qb2 Rc3 33. Rd1 Qc5 34. Rdf1 Nc6 35. Rd2 Na5 36. Qc1 b3, White resigns.		     a<br>