Walter H. Wood, who was born November 18, 1954, in Greeley, Colorado, is used to success at the highest levels. He graduated from the University of Texas at Austin with highest honors in 1975. In 1978 he achieved his M.D. degree from Baylor College of Medicine in Houston, Texas. Walter then opened up a private practice in dermatology in San Jose, California. A chessplayer since high school, Walter discovered correspondence chess and set a new goal for himself: He wanted to become an International Correspondence Chess Master.

Walter notes that chess by postcard is being replaced by e-mail. He recommends that for those who like the relaxed pace of postal chess where there is a significant transmission time delay, perhaps e-mail chess with a time delay of four to five days before the clock runs out would be an effective compromise.

GAME OF THE MONTH

This was a crucial game in Walter's pursuit of the ICCM title. It has the elements of a great struggle -- a formidable opponent, an early exciting pawn sacrifice, an early error on White's part, exchanging a mobile queen for clumsy rooks, a battle of passed pawns on opposite sides of the board, and finally a clearing of the board, leading to the final goal.

SICILIAN DEFENSE [B76]
W: Walter Wood (2495)
B: ICCM Jeffrey Tilghman
3rd North Atlantic Pacific Zone Tournament, 1998

Notes based on those by Walter Wood

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 g6 6. Be3 Bg7 7. f3 Nc6 8. Qd2 0-0 9. 0-0-0 d5 10. exd5 Nxd5 11. Nxc6 bxc6 12. Nxd5?

IM Tilghman was surely pleased to see this mistake. Black gets more than enough compensation for the pawn. In this position, the mobile queen is easily a match for the rooks. (For another example of this theme, see Fedorov-Morozevich on page 37-- Ed)

12. ... cxd5 13. Qxd5 Qc7 14. Qxa8 Bf5 15. Qxf8+ Kxf8 16. Rd2 h5 17. Kb1 Kg8 18. Be2

Losing was 18. Ba6 Qe5 19. Rd8+ Kh7 20. Bd4 Qa5 21. Bxg7 Kxg7 as in Aubrey-Clark (correspondence, 1994).

18. ... Qe5 19. Bd4 Qf4 20. Rhd1 Bxd4 21. Rxd4 Qxh2 22. Bf1 h4 23. R4d2 Qg3 24. Ka1 h3 25. gxh3 Qxf3

Walter writes: "Earlier I had failed to appreciate how Black would mobilize connected passed e- and f-pawns whereas White would have only a single passed c-pawn for counterplay."

26. c4 e5 27. c5 Kg7 28. Re1 Be6 29. Rc1 e4 30. c6 e3 31. Rdc2 Qd5 32. b4 Qd4+ 33. Rb2 Qf4 34. Rbc2 Qxb4 35. c7 Bc8 36. Rb2 Qe4 37. Rc4 Qh1 38. Rc1 f5 39. Rg2 Kf6 40. Rgc2 Qd5 41. Be2

White avoids the tempting 41. Ba6? Qd4+ 42. Kb1 Qb6+ 43. Ka1 Qxa6 44. Rc6+ Qxc6 45. Rxc6+ Ke5 and Black wins.

41. ... Qd4+ 42. Kb1 Qe4 43. Rd1 f4 44. Rd8 Bxh3 45. Rh8 Qb4+ 46. Kc1 Bf5 47. c8=Q Bxc8 48. Rhxc8 Qd4 49. Kb1 Qe4 50. Kc1 Kg5 51. R8c4 Qh1+ 52. Kb2 f3 53. Kc3 fxe2 54. Rxe2 Kf5 55. Rxe3, draw.

This narrow escape from defeat secured Wood's ICCM title.

In the following game White's play with the heavy pieces along the e- and d-files is impressive and pleasing. These are nimble-footed rooks indeed!

CENTER COUNTER GAME [B01]
W: Alex Herrera (2059)
B: W. Pressnall (2120)
1999 Golden Knights

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Nxd5 4. Nf3 g6 5. c4 Nb6 6. Nc3 Bg7 7. c5 Nd5 8. Bc4 c6 9. Qb3 0-0 10. 0-0 Nxc3 11. bxc3 b5 12. cxb6 e.p. axb6 13. Re1 Ba6 14. Bxa6 Rxa6 15. Bg5 Re8 16. Rad1 Qd6 17. d5 h6 18. dxc6 Qc7 19. Bh4 Nxc6 20. Bg3 Qb7 21. Rd6 e6 22. h3 Rc8 23. Rexe6 Na5 24. Qd1 fxe6 25. Rd7 Rxc3 26. Qd6 Ra7 27. Qxe6+ Kh7 28. Rxb7 Rxb7 29. Nh4 Rc1+ 30. Kh2 g5 31. Qg6+ Kh8 32. Nf5 Rc6 33. Bd6 b5 34. Nxg7 Rxg7 35. Qxh6+ Kg8 36. Qe6+ Kh7 37. Qf5+ Rg6 38. Qf7+ Rg7 39. Qh5+ Kg8 40. Qe8+ Kh7 41. Be5, Black resigns.

Ronald Chapman demonstrates the peculiar geometry of chess, proving the shortest distance from a pawn on b2 is sometimes the king on e8.

SICILIAN DEFENSE [B80]
Scheveningen Variation
W: Ronald Chapman (2098)
B: R. McCale (2005)
2000 Golden Knights

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 d6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 Nf6 5. Nc3 a6 6. Be3 e6 7. g4 h6 8. Bg2 Nbd7 9. h3 Be7 10. f4 Qb6 11. a3 e5 12. Nf5 Qxb2 13. Na4 Qb5 14. Qxd6 Bf8 15. Nb6 Qb2 16. Qc7 Nxb6 17. Bxb6 Bxf5 18. exf5 Qxa1+ 19. Ke2 Qb2 20. Bc6+ bxc6 21. Qxc6+ Ke7 22. Bc5+ Kd8 23. Rd1+ Qd4 24. Bxd4 exd4 25. Rxd4+ Ke7 26. Qxa8 Ne8 27. Qd8 mate.

Mike Blechar notes that the following game is one of the most double-edged he has played in 20 years. White follows analysis in Berliner's The System until Black derails him with 12. ... Qh4+.

KING'S INDIAN DEFENSE [E83]
W: Mike Blechar (2218)
B: Robert Chalker (2213)
15th CCLA Championship

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 Bg7 4. e4 d6 5. f3 0-0 6. Be3 Nc6 7. Rb1 a6 8. b4 e5 9. d5 Nd4 10. Nge2 Nh5 11. Qd2 Nxe2 12. Bxe2 Qh4+ 13. Bf2 Qf4 14. Be3 Qh4+ 15. g3 Nxg3 16. Bf2 Bh6 17. Qd3 Bf4 18. Bf1 Qh6 19. hxg3 Qxh1 20. gxf4 exf4 21. Kd2 f5 22. Be2 Qh6 23. c5 fxe4 24. Nxe4 Bf5 25. Bd4 Rae8 26. Kc3 Qh4 27. Qc2 Qh3 28. Kb2 Bxe4 29. fxe4 Qg2 30. Bd3 f3 31. Rg1 Qh3 32. Qf2 Qh5 33. Kc3 Rf4 34. Kc4 Ref8 35. a4 Qh4 36. Qxh4 Rxh4 37. a5 Rhf4 38. c6 bxc6 39. dxc6 f2 40. Rf1 h5 41. Bb6 R4f7 42. Kc3 Kh7 43. Bxa6 g5 44. Bd3 cxb6 45. e5+ Kh6 46. exd6 g4 47. c7 g3 48. Be4 bxa5 49. b5 Rf3+ 50. Bxf3 Rxf3+ 51. Kd2 g2 52. Ke2 Rf8 53. d7 g1=Q 54. d8=Q Qg4+ 55. Kd2 Qb4+ 56. Kd1 Qb1+ 57. Kd2 Qb2+ 58. Kd1, draw.