This column is devoted to CFCC players’ best games. Keep checking back as we add them here. Contact Larry Storch.

Orton,W (2300) – Hall,C (2100) [B03]

US Open USA, 1990

[Hall,Charles]

1.e4 Nf6 2.e5 Nd5 3.d4 d6 4.c4 Nb6 5.exd6 cxd6 6.Be3 g6 7.d5 Bg7 8.Bd4 Duncan Suttles – Robert Fischer, Palma de Mallorca, 1970 continues with the American actually tossing a tempo with: 8…0–0 Duncan Suttles – Robert Fischer, Palma de Mallorca, 1970 continues with the American actually tossing a tempo with: [ 8...Bxd4 9.Qxd4 0–0] 9.Bxg7 Kxg7 10.Qd4+ f6 11.Nc3 e5! 12.Qd2 [ 12.dxe6 Re8 seems good enough for equality.] 12…f5 13.0–0–0 Na6 14.h4 h6 15.b3 Nd7 16.f4 exf4 Defining the battle. We have Pawn majorities on both sides of the board and I already have some comfortable posts for my Knights.  Both Bishops will be liabilities. 17.Qxf4 Qf6 18.Nge2 Qe5 If White trades Queens, recapturing with the Pawn gives a strong, mobile center.  White will not have an easy time advancing his d-Pawn.  Very unclear, obviously, but Black should not be worse. 19.Qd4 Nf6 20.Nf4 Re8 21.Be2 Bd7 22.Rhe1 Qxd4 23.Rxd4 Re5 A “decoying” move to entice the Knight off f4 before going back to e7. 24.Nd3 Re7 25.Bf3 It’s interesting to look at this position and consider what material is appropriate to retain or trade off.  If you’ve read Shereshevsky’s book on Endgame Strategy, you will consider the problem of Exchanging very seriously.  White’s Pawns are mostly on White, but most are mobile as well.  Black’s Bishop is rubbish. However, there is a rather permanent outpost on e5, and nice opportunities from there for a Knight. My goal here was to, if possible, enter Knight vs. Bishop ending.   25…Rxe1+ 26.Nxe1 Re8 27.Rd1 Nc5 28.Nc2 g5 No reason not to start the majority rolling.  White has no play. 29.hxg5 hxg5 30.b4 Na4 31.Nxa4 Not understanding my plan, White allows me to reach all of my goals. 31…Bxa4! 32.Re1 Bxc2 33.Rxe8 Nxe8 34.Kxc2 g4 35.Be2 Kf6 36.c5 Ke5 37.c6 b6 Dual threats of advancing on the Kingside force White to feint toward defending the Pawn, but then return. 38.Bc4 Kd4 39.Bd3 f4 40.Be2 Kxd5 41.Bxg4 Kxc6 42.Bf3+ d5 43.Kc3 Kd6 44.Kd4 Nc7 45.Bd1 Ne6+ 46.Kd3 Ke5 Wrong plan, but White cannot improve his game. 47.Bb3 Nd4 48.Bd1 Nf5 49.Bg4 Nd6 50.Bd1 Black must create two points of entry, or at least a second weakness.  Then he can try and penetrate on the Queenside.  Black has no points to penetrate on the Kingside. 50…a5! 51.bxa5 [ 51.a3 Nc4–+] 51…bxa5 52.Bf3 Nf5 53.Bg4 Ne7 54.Bd7 Now that I have found the correct plan, White aids me with a free tempo. 54…Kd6 55.Bh3 Kc5 56.a3 Nc6 57.Be6 Ne5+ 58.Kc3 Nc4 Black wants to tie the Bishop down to the g-Pawn with his still-agile Knight and then penetrate. 59.Kb3 Ne3 60.Bh3 Kd4 White resigns, as he’s almost in Zugzwang.  Going after the a-Pawn simply allows me to Queen. 0–1

Storch,L (2225) – Rajlich,V (2330) [E97]
North American Open (6), 1998

This may be my best ever played game. 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 g6 3.Nc3 Bg7 4.e4 d6 5.Nf3 0-0 6.Be2 e5 7.0-0 Nc6 8.d5 Ne7 9.Nd2 a5 10.a3 Bd7 11.b3 Ne8 12.Rb1 f5 13.b4 axb4 14.axb4 Nf6 15.f3 Bh6 16.Nb3 Bxc1 17.Qxc1 f4 18.c5 g5 19.Nb5 Bxb5 So black can play …g4 20.Bxb5 g4 21.Be2 g3 22.h3 Normally, when black still has his white squared bishop, this is suicide due to the sac on h3 22…h6 Black looks to use the knight (via h7 & g5) for the sac. 23.Qc3 Rf7 24.Ra1 Rb8 25.Rfc1 Ng6 26.Bf1 Nh7 27.Ra7 Ng5 28.Na5 Nh4 The stage is set. 29.Rxb7 Rxb7 30.Nxb7 Qc8 31.cxd6! Nxh3+ [ 31...Qxb7 32.dxc7 Qc8 33.Ba6+-] 32.gxh3 g2 [ 32...Nxf3+ 33.Qxf3 Qxb7 34.Qg4+ Rg7 35.Qxg7+ Kxg7 36.Rxc7+] 33.Bxg2 Rg7

Now, with g2 hanging with check, I sacrifice my queen! 34.Qxc7!! Rxc7 [ 34...Rxg2+ 35.Kf1 Qf8 36.d7 Rg1+ 37.Ke2 Rg2+ 38.Kd3] 35.dxc7 Now black took a long think. I took a stroll around Bally’s playing hall (the tournament was in Las Vegas), analyzing the position seeking some way black could survive, when It suddenly occurred to me. I raced back to the board in time to see my opponent play 35…Kh7! This clears the g8 square for the Queen and removes the king from check. 36.Rc2! Defending g2. The rest is desparation by black. 36…Nxg2 37.Kxg2 Qg8+ 38.Kf1 Qc8 39.Ke1 Qg8 40.Kf1 Qc8 41.Ke2 Qxh3 42.c8Q Qg2+ 43.Kd3 Qxf3+ 44.Kc4 Qxe4+ 45.Kb5 A great way to end the North American Open! 1-0

L. Storch (2125) – Cunningham,W (2260) [B01]
State Championship, 1983

1.e4 d5 2.exd5 Nf6 3.d4 Nxd5 4.c4 Nb6 5.Nf3 Bg4 6.c5 N6d7 7.Bc4 e5? This is the move Bob Persante and I prepared for before this round. 8.Qb3! Black is lost on move 8 8…Qf6 9.Qxb7 Bxf3 10.gxf3 c6 Black abandons the rook and hopes to keep white’s queen trapped long enough to intitiate an attack on his king. As I considered taking the rook, another idea came to me. 11.Qc8+!!

Not the rook, but the King! 11…Ke7 12.d5! The toughest move of the game to find, along with white’s 14th. 12…Nxc5 [ 12...cxd5 13.Nc3!] 13.Be3 Ncd7 14.Nc3 And here we have basically the same position that we did after move 12 but now white has two more pieces in the attack. 14…Qxf3 15.d6+! Kxd6 16.Rd1+ Ke7 17.Bc5+ Kf6 18.Qd8+ The black king cannot survive out in the open. 18…Kf5 19.Bd3+ Qxd3 This concession does not stop the fury of white’s attack. 20.Rxd3 Nxc5 21.Rf3+ 1-0