Joseph Schwing, 50, a civil engineer working with the Army Corps of Engineers, has won the 1991 Golden Knights Championship. A graduate of Temple University, Joseph is not and has never been in jail (as I erroneously reported in May of 2001).

Joseph has been playing postal chess since 1967 and has been an OTB Master since 1982. His success in the Golden Knights (a near-perfect 171/2-1/2) came about despite his having to travel a lot in his job. Joseph has climbed his way to a CC Senior Master rating without even a computer database for opening material. Joseph also notes that he finds some of his best moves lying in the dark before he falls asleep, a possible improvement on counting sheep.

GAME OF THE MONTH

Schwing shows patience and perseverance in this delicate endgame, where the bishop takes care of its own pawns.

Notes based on those by Joseph Schwing

QUEEN'S GAMBIT ACCEPTED [D20]
W: Joseph Schwing (2422)
B: W. Hanousek (2212)
1991 Golden Knights final

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4 3. e4 Nf6 4. e5 Nd5 5. Bxc4 Nb6 6. Bb3 Nc6 7. Be3 e6

Recommended by Korchnoi in conjunction with Black's 17th move.

8. a3 Na5 9. Bc2 Bd7 10. Ne2 Qh4 11. Nbc3 Bc6 12. 0-0 Nac4 13. Bc1 0-0-0 14. f4 Kb8 15. b3 Na5 16. Bd2 Be8 17. Qb1 f5 18. Rf3 h6 19. Qa2 Qe7 20. Rg3 Nc6 21. Be3 Rg8 22. b4 Bf7 23. Bb3 g5 24. Rd1 Rd7 25. Bf2 Bg7 26. Rgd3 Rdd8 27. Kh1 h5?!

A sacrifice or an oversight? The capture of this pawn involves a considerable risk with the White king on h1. Another possibility is 27. ... g4 followed by ... h5-h4-h3 and after White answers ... h4-h3 with g2-g3, to prepare for White's intended d4-d5 break.

28. fxg5 Qxg5 29. Rg3 Qe7 30. Nf4 Rde8 31. Rh3 Bh6 32. Nxh5 Bg5

Perhaps Black had counted on 32. ... Qg5, but 33. Be3! wins further material.

33. Ng3 Nd8 34. Nge2 Rh8 35. Ng1 Rxh3 36. Nxh3 Bh6 37. Bg3 Nc6 38. Nf4 Bxf4 39. Bxf4 Rd8 40. Qf2 Rd7 41. Qe3 Qh4 42. h3 Qh8 43. Rd3 Qg8 44. Qd2 Rd8 45. Na4 Nxa4 46. Bxa4 Be8 47. Bb3 Bf7 48. b5 Ne7 49. Bg5 Qe8 50. a4 Rd7 51. Bxe7 Qxe7 52. a5 Rd8 53. a6 Qd7 54. Ba4 b6

If 54. ... bxa6 then 55. Qb4! leads to a killing attack.

55. g3 Qd5+ 56. Qg2 Qe4 57. Bb3 Be8 58. Re3 Bc6 59. Rxe4! Bxe4 60. Bxe6 Rxd4 61. Bxf5 Bxg2+

Joseph gives the best try for Black as 61. ... Rd1+ 62. Kh2 Bxg2 63. Kxg2 c5 64. bxc6 e.p. Kc7 65. h4 Kxc6 66. Kf3 Kd5 67. Kf4 Rf1+ 68. Kg5 Kxe5 69. g4 Ra1 70. h5 Rxa6 71. h6 Ra1 72. h7 Rh1 73. Bg6, when White wins anyway.

62. Kxg2 Rd5

A better try is 62. ... c5 63. bxc6 e.p. Kc7 but White still wins after 64. e6!

63. h4 Rxb5 64. h5 Rxe5 65. g4 Re2+ 66. Kg3 Re3+ 67. Kh4 c5 68. h6, Black resigns.

One possible continuation is 68. ... Re1 69. g5 Rh1+ 70. Bh3 and White wins.

Perhaps the greatest correspondence tournament of all time just recently started, the ICCF 50 Years World Champions Jubilee. The eight living world champions and the No. 1 rated player since 1995 are competing for a prize fund of 25,000 Euros (about $21,500). The participants are Fritz Baumbach (2489), Hans Berliner (2763) - Hans has been inactive for the past 30 years, and his rating was calculated retrospectively. Thus his rating is higher than the Number 1 player, Gert Timmerman), Tonu Oim (2610), Victor Palciauskas (2558), Horst Rittner (2577), Grigory Sanakoev (2597), Jorn Sloth (2605), Gert Timmerman (2744), and Mikhail Umansky (2633)..

Robin Smith shows the form that made him U.S. Champion for the second time in this Smith-Morra Gambit. White plays for wild complications, but this time the defense triumphs.

SICILIAN DEFENSE [B21]
Smith-Morra Gambit
W: Gary Good (2330)
B: Robin Smith (2589)
13th USCCC

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. c3 dxc3 4. Nxc3 e6 5. Bc4 a6 6. Nf3 b5 7. Bb3 Bb7 8. Qe2 d6 9. 0-0 Nd7 10. Rd1 Ngf6 11. Bf4 Qb8 12. Rac1 Be7 13. Nd5 exd5 14. exd5 Kf8 15. Nh4 Ne8 16. Nf5 Bf6 17. Re1 Ne5 18. Bd2 Qd8 19. a4 g6 20. Ne3 Kg7 21. axb5 axb5 22. Kh1 Qb6 23. f4 Nd7 24. Ng4 Bxb2 25. Be3 Bd4 26. Bxd4+ Qxd4 27. Qe7 Nc5 28. Rcd1 Qc3 29. f5 Nf6 30. fxg6 hxg6 31. Rf1 Nce4 32. Rf3 Rae8, White resigns.

The drive to win has created some wild gambits. Here is one of the oddest - but don't think it is totally harmless!

MODERN DEFENSE [A45]
Gibbous Weidenhagen Gambit
W: Christopher Maciulewicz (2217)
B: Gary Simms (2121)
CCLA, 1999

1. d4 Nf6 2. g4 Nxg4 3. e4 d6 4. f3 Nf6 5. Be3 Nbd7 6. Nc3 g6 7. Qd2 Bg7 8. 0-0-0 0-0 9. Nge2 b6 10. h4 h5 11. e5 Nh7 12. e6 fxe6 13. Nf4 Rf6 14. Ne4 Rxf4 15. Bxf4 c5 16. Bh3 Bxd4 17. Bxe6+ Kh8 18. c3 Be5 19. Rhe1 Bxf4 20. Qxf4 Qf8 21. Qg3 Ne5 22. Bd5 Bf5 23. Bxa8 Qxa8 24. Nxd6, Black resigns.

Some players play for the steady accumulation of small advantages, seeking to win a square at a time. Jim Monacell (Avondale Estates, GA) prefers to let his wild side come out.

GRUENFELD DEFENSE [D87] W: James Monacell (2356) B: Stephane Burgnies (2208) IECG Master Class March, 2000

1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 g6 3. Nc3 d5 4. cxd5 Nxd5 5. e4 Nxc3 6. bxc3 Bg7 7. Bc4 0-0 8. Ne2 c5 9. 0-0 Nc6 10. Be3 Qc7 11. Rc1 Rd8 12. f4 Bg4 13. f5 Na5 14. Bd5 gxf5 15. h3 Bxe2 16. Qxe2 e6 17. exf5 Rxd5 18. f6 Bf8 19. Bf4 Qd7 20. Rf3 e5 21. dxe5 Kh8 22. Rg3 Qf5 23. Rf1 h6 24. c4 Nxc4 25. Qxc4 Rad8 26. Kh2 Qh5 27. Qe4 R8d7 28. Rg4 R5d4 29. Qe2, Black withdrew.

White won by adjudication.