Chess

Arthur Bisguier is the ultimate American grandmaster. His chess career spans more than six decades and is full of amazing twists and unexpected turns, crisscrossing the United States and the world. The former U.S. champion describes his life and games in "The Art of Bisguier," a two-volume work he produced with Newton Berry. The second volume, "Selected Games 1961-2003," was recently issued by the Russell Enterprises.

I have known Arthur for nearly 45 years. Tournaments were never boring when he was around. The fun-loving grandmaster was a wonderful storyteller. Sometimes the facts got in the way of his story, but he was always entertaining. Bisguier uses his stories to introduce each of his 100 games in this wonderful new book. He was not a theoretician, but he nurtured his opening systems and schemes to perfection, often playing them long before someone else attached names to them. In his long career he fought the world's best. His chess was exciting, sometimes too emotional. He would charge forward, asking himself: "What's a Bisguier game without sacrifice?" But he could also defend stubbornly and conduct his games with great positional understanding.

A typical Bisguier game is his victory against grandmaster Lev Alburt at the Liberty Bell Open in Philadelphia in 1979. Confronting his opponent with new problems right from the beginning, Bisguier slowly built up his position, only to deliver a crashing blow at the end with a queen sacrifice, leading to a pretty smothered mate. It is presented with Bisguier's notes.

Bisguier-Alburt

1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 c5 3.e3 (Avoiding the Benko gambit 3.d5 b5 Alburt liked to play.) 3...g6 4.dxc5 Na6 5.a3 Nxc5 6.b4 Ne6 7.Bb2 Bg7 8.Nc3 a5 9.Nf3 0-0 10.Qb3 d6 11.Be2 Qb6 12.Nd2 (The white queen must be protected. Otherwise black can play 12...Nc5, followed by the win of my b4-pawn.) 12...axb4 13.axb4 Rxa1+ 14.Bxa1 Nc7 15.0-0 Na6 16.Rb1 Be6 17.Nf3 Bf5 18.Rb2 Rc8 19.Nd4 Bd7 20.Rb1 Ra8 21.Ndb5 (The knight commands a strong outpost at b5.) 21...Be6 22.Bb2 Rc8 23.Ba3 h5 (Alburt begins a suicidal maneuver. His abortive attempts at kingside play weaken his own king's position, which will soon cost him dearly. 23...h6 looks playable.) 24.h3 Kh7 25.Nd4 Bd7 26.Nf3 Bh6? (This blunder misses my threat. Black can still hold with 26...Kg8, though white retains an edge with 27.Ng5 threatening 28.c5.)

27.c5! (Opening the a2-g8 diagonal for my queen, with gain of tempo through the attack on the black queen.) 27...dxc5 28.Qxf7+ Bg7 29.Ng5+ Kh8 (White is also winning after 29...Kh6 30.e4 Kxg5 31.Bc1+ Kh4 32.Qxg6 and black will soon be mated.) 30.bxc5 Qa5 (Another try is 30...Qc7 31.Nb5 Qb8 32.Nd4, though white still holds the upper hand.) 31.Bb2 (Also good is the immediate 31.Nce4 Be8 32.Qxe7.) 31...Qxc5? (Bad. But black is also losing after 31...Be8 32.Qxe7 Qxc5 33.Qxb7 Rc7 34.Qxa6 Qxg5 35.Bf3.) 32.Nce4 (This is a knockout in light of 32...Qf5 33.g4 hxg4 34.hxg4 Qd5 35.Nxf6 Qxf7 36.Nxf7 mate.) 32...Qc2 (The alternative 32...Be8 leaves black busted after 33.Nxc5 Bxf7 34.Nxf7+ Kg8 35.Nxb7 Kxf7 36.Bxa6.) 33.Nxf6 Qxb1+ 34.Kh2 Rf8 (Alburt has no possible defense. The bishop on g7 is pinned in its effort to prevent Qh7 mate. After 34...Bxf6 35.Qh7 mates; and after 34...exf6 35.Bxf6 Rg8 36.Bxg7+ Rxg7 37.Qf8+ Rg8 38.Qh6 mates.) 35.Qg8+! (After 35...Rxg8 36.Nf7+ is a smothered mate.) Black resigned.

Solution to today's three-mover by E. Pogosyants (White:Ke4,Qd5,Nc2,Ne2; Black: Kd1,Bd2,P:c3,c4,e3): 1.Qd3!! cxd3 2.Kxd3 Bc1 (or 2...Be1 3.Nxe3 mate) 3.Nxc3 mate.