Late Knight by Richard Forster Five Reasons for Remembering William Norwood Potter 'William Norwood Who??' you might ask upon reading the title of this column. Indeed, William Norwood Potter (27 August 1840 13 March 1895) is only one of the minor heroes of chess history, but he nevertheless deserves to be remembered. Who was he? Just after his death The Chess Monthly had this short biographical sketch (April 1895): '... In his earliest childhood he displayed a promise of excellence in chess, and it required only a special application in later years to make him one of the foremost English masters. Endowed with exceptional tenacity of purpose and rare industry, even for an Anglo-Saxon, obstacles did not exist for him, upon the path he was determined to travel. Thus in barely three years, from 1867 [at the age of twenty- seven!] when he made his first appearance at Simpson's Divan, receiving the odds of a Knight from Blackburne and De Vere to 1870, he reached the front rank of English experts. In that year he gained the first prize in the [handicap] tournament of the City of London Chess Club, defeating both Blackburne and De Vere on even terms. (...) In the handicap of the same club 1874-75 he took the second prize, amongst the competitors being Bird, Wisker, and Zukertort. Mr. Maas, who received from the first class players Pawn and two moves, being first. In 1875 he contested a match with Zukertort at the West End Chess Club, which the latter won, but only after a protracted struggle Potter scoring two to Zukertort's four, whilst eight games were drawn. In 1879 he drew a match with Mason, also a hard-fought battle, twenty-one games having been played. (...) He also was, together with Steinitz and Zukertort, the editor of the article on Chess in the "Encyclop‘dia Britannica", and conducted with Steinitz the two memorable games by correspondence against Vienna [1872-1874]. Some ten years ago he retired from chess and chess circles altogether, living in perfect seclusion at Sutton, where he died regretted but not forgotten by his numerous friends and admirers of his sterling qualities.' And from the British Chess Magazine's obituary (April 1895): '... Compared with some of his contemporaries, his record of first-class play is not a long one; he more than once withdrew from the arena, and finally retired some years ago at no advanced age; but the quality of his best play entitles him, we think, to rank as the equal of any British-born master of his time, with the single exception of Blackburne.' For those who had never heard of Potter before, here are five reasons why the chess world will not forget him so easily: 1) According to The Oxford Companion To Chess, two opening variations bear Potter's name: 4...Bc5 5 Nb3 in the Scotch Opening, and 11 Rd1 (after 8 Qb3 Qf6 9 e5 Qg6 10 Nxc3 Nge7) in the Compromised Defence of the Evans' Gambit. The later line, which was one of the many subjects that he analysed in his popular weekly column in Land and Water, was a rare guest even in those days. Nowadays it's fair to speak of its extinction not a single game could be found in the databases. The reader should not be misguided by the obscurity of the 'Potter Variations' much of his analysis was included in the openings compendiums of the time. 2) Potter was also the winner of this often published miniature (with several initial move-orders). The Chess Players' Quarterly Chronicle, April 1869, page 178, mentions that the game was 'played in London during the meeting of the British Chess Association, 1868'. Potter - Matthews London, 1868 1 e4 e5 2 d4 exd4 3 Bc4 c5 4 Nf3 d6 5 O-O Nc6 6 c3 d3 7.Re1 Bg4 8.e5!? Nxe5? A decisive mistake, which allows an interesting variation on Legall's famous theme. Better continuations were 8...d5 or 8...dxe5, when 9.Nxe5 Bxd1 10.Nxc6+ Be2 11.Nxd8 Kxd8 only leads to an approximately even position. 9.Nxe5! Bxd1 10.Bb5+! Ke7 11.Bg5+! f6 Or 11...Ke6 12.Nxd3+ Kf5 13.Bxd8 and White keeps an extra piece. 12.Ng6+ Kf7 13.Nxh8 mate. Mate with a knight in the corner! I assume that Tim Krabbe, one of my favourite Chess Cafe writers, noticed this game a long time ago, otherwise he might just now open a new file in his great Cabinet des Curiosites. I admit that I could not resist the temptation to start a ChessBase search for knight-in-the-corner mates myself, and here are the results. To my surprise I found almost a dozen examples, of which I present here the most interesting ones: Morphy - Le Carpentier New Orleans, 1849 Remove White's queen's rook. 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.d4 exd4 4.Bc4 Bb4+ 5.c3 dxc3 6.0 0 cxb2 7.Bxb2 Bf8 8.e5 d6 9.Re1 dxe5 10.Nxe5 Qxd1 11.Bxf7+ Ke7? 12.Ng6+! Kxf7 13.Nxh8 mate. The same discovered check motif on the e-file. The next game shows that mate can also happen on the queenside: Ibrahim - St. Pierre Quebec, 1987 1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nf3 c5 4.Nc3 cxd4 5.Nxd4 Nc6 6.e4 a6 7.Nxc6 dxc6 8.Qxd8+ Kxd8 9.e5 Nd7 10.f4 f5 11.Be3 Kc7 12.Be2 b6 13.0 0 0 Bb7 14.g4 g6 15.gxf5 gxf5 16.Rhg1 Bh6 17.c5 Nxc5 18.Bxc5 bxc5 19.Kb1 Rag8 20.Rgf1 Bf8 21.Bc4 Bc8 22.Na4 Rg2 23.Rf3 Rhg8 24.Rb3 Rg1 25.Bf1 R8g4 26.Nb6 26...c4?? 26...Bb7 was mandatory. 27.Na8 mate. An example where the late Aivars Gipslis (1937-2000) suffers from a corner mate after a distressing king hunt: Gipslis - Agrest Soviet Union, 1980 1.e4 c5 2.c3 d5 3.exd5 Qxd5 4.d4 Nc6 5.dxc5 Qxd1+ 6.Kxd1 e5 7.Be3 Bg4+ 8.f3 0 0 0+ 9.Nd2 Be6 10.Kc2 Bf5+ 11.Kc1 Nf6 12.Ne2 Nd5 13.Bf2 g6 14.Ng3 Bh6 15.Nxf5 gxf5 16.Be1 e4 17.fxe4 fxe4 18.Be2 f5 19.g3 Ne5 20.Kc2 20...Ne3+ 21.Kb3 Nd7 22.Nc4 Nxc5+ 23.Kb4 Nc2+ 24.Kxc5 Bf8+ 25.Kb5 Rd5+ 26.Ka4 b5+ 27.Kb3 Nxa1 mate. Not so surprisingly, knight promotions also occur, as in the following typical example: N.N. - Goetz Strasbourg, 1880 1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.b3 Qh4+ 4.g3 fxg3 5.h3 g2+ 6.Ke2 Qxe4+ 7.Kf2 gxh1N mate. And, as the following two examples show, it can even happen in correspondence play: Weinitschke - Roemer Correspondence game, 1969 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.Nd2 c5 4.Ngf3 Nc6 5.exd5 exd5 6.Bb5 Bd6 7.0 0 Nge7 8.dxc5 Bxc5 9.Nb3 Bd6 10.Nbd4 0 0 11.Be3 Bg4 12.Qd2 Rc8 13.h3 Bh5 14.Be2 Bb8 15.c3 Qc7 16.g3 Qd7 17.Kg2 Rfe8 18.Rac1 a6 19.Bd3 Bg6 20.Nxc6 Rxc6 21.Bxg6 Rxg6 22.Bf4 Bxf4 23.Qxf4 Rh6 24.Qg4 Qxg4 25.hxg4 Nc6 26.Rcd1 Re2 27.Rxd5 Rxb2 28.Ne5 Kf8 29.Nd7+ Kg8 30.Nc5 Rg6 31.Re1 h6 32.Re8+ Kh7 33.Rd7 Rg5 34.Rxb7 Rxa2 35.Nd7 Rxg4 36.Rc7 Na5 37.Rcc8 f6 38.Nf8+ Kg8 39.Ng6+ Kf7 40.Nh8 mate. Ei - Dickson Correspondence game, 1988 1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Nf3 Nc6 5.Bd3 Bd6 6.0 0 Bg4 7.c3 Nge7 8.Re1 Qd7 9.Nbd2 0 0 0 10.b4 Nb8 11.a4 c6 12.Qb3 h5 13.b5 Qc7 14.c4 dxc4 15.Nxc4 Bxf3 16.b6 Qd7 17.bxa7 Qg4 18.Nb6+ Kc7 19.a8N mate. I am sure there are other examples, still to be discovered in old archives and club magazines But back to Potter. 3) A third reason for remembering him is the following position: (DIAGRAM: 8/8/1KP5/3r4/8/8/8/k7) White to move and win. 1.c7 Rd6+ 2.Kb5 Rd5+ 3.Kb4 Rd4+ 4.Kb3 Rd3+ 5.Kc2 Rd4 6.c8R Ra4 7.Kb3 and wins. Most of you will recognise this as the famous Saavedra study (1895) and wonder what it has to do with Potter. The long and intriguing answer has been (re-)discovered and published by Tim Krabbe in his books and also on his highly recommended web page (http://www.xs4all.nl/~timkr/chess/saavedra.htm). The link to Potter, put briefly, is that an antecedent of the Saavedra position had been published in connection with his death, when the editor of the Glasgow Weekly Citizen (incorrectly) recalled the finish of a match game of Potter's, played twenty years before. However, by mixing up the position a little, he gave rise to the discovery of the spectacular under-promotion. Here now, for the first time, is the full score of that 1875 match game against Richard Fenton, which was previously believed to be lost even by Krabbe himself. The game was played as the fourth in a series of match games, in which Potter gave alternately the odds of 'pawn-and-move' and 'pawn-and-two- moves'. He won 5:0 with four draws, but Fenton's resistance was much tougher than the result suggests. The notes are Zukertort's in the City of London Chess Magazine, May 1875, pages 123-125: Fenton - Potter London, 1875 Remove Black's f-pawn. 1.e4 -- 2.d4 e6 3.Bd3 Qe7 'A favourite continuation with some strong players. Its soundness may be doubted, but what can stand analysis against the large odds of Pawn and two moves?' 4.Ne2 d6 5.Nbc3 Nc6 6.a3 g6 7.0 0 Bg7 8.Be3 Nf6 9.h3 a6 'I fail to see the object of this move. Black being two moves behind loses still more time. 9 Bd2 was certainly better.' 10.f4 d5 'Giving the opportunity to the opponent to block both the Bishops by the advance of the KP. 10...0-0 was preferable.' 11.e5 Nd7 12.f5 'This line of play gives White an immediate attack without any material loss, as Black cannot maintain his numerical superiority. Nevertheless I would prefer a simple continuation, as 12 Ng3, which would much increase White's superiority of position.' 12...gxf5 13.Bxf5 exf5 14.Nxd5 Qd8 15.Nef4 Ndxe5 'Best; if 15...0-0, White obtains by 16 Ne6, etc., a Rook and three centre Pawns for two minor pieces; if 15...Nf8, White wins by 16 Qh5+ Ng6 17 Nxg6 hxg6 18 Qxg6+ Kf8 19 e6.' 16.dxe5 0 0 17.Qh5 '17 e6 was the strongest continuation.' 17...Bxe5 'Notwithstanding that the Bishop protects the weak c-pawn, I would prefer 17...Nxe5, and if 18 Rad1 Bd7.' 18.Rad1 Qe8 19.Qh4 Rf7 20.Rfe1 20...Qf8 21.b4 b6 22.c4 Bd7 23.Nd3 Qg7 24.Bf4 Bxf4 25.N3xf4 Ne5 26.Nf6+ 'White with good judgement prevents, by the exchange of Queen and Knight, the threatened attack, and obtains a position for the end game which is clearly in his favour.' 26...Qxf6 27.Qxf6 Rxf6 28.Rxe5 Bc6 29.Kf2 Rf7 30.Rd3 'Why not at once 30 Rd4, if the Rook should be moved at all?' 30...Be4 31.Rd4 Bc6 32.g3 Raf8 33.Nh5 Re8 34.Rxe8+ Bxe8 35.Nf4 Bd7 36.Nd3 Re7 37.Kf3 Kg7 38.c5 38...Bb5 'Injudicious. 38...b5 gave Black a good chance to draw the game. The move in the text leads to an exchange, which breaks up Black's Pawns altogether.' 39.cxb6 cxb6 40.Kf4 Bxd3 41.Rxd3 Rf7 42.Ke5 Kg6 43.Rd6+ Kg5 44.Rxb6 f4 45.gxf4+ Rxf4 46.Rxa6 Rh4 47.b5 Rxh3 48.a4 h5 49.b6 Rb3 50.a5 h4 51.Ra8 h3 52.Kd6 Kg4 53.Rh8 Rb5 54.Rxh3 Kxh3 55.Kc6 Rxa5 56.b7 Ra6+ Given up as drawn. 'Mr. Fenton gave up the game as a draw at the moment when victory was within his grasp: 57 Kc5 Ra5+ (Black has no better move.) 58 Kc4 Ra4+ 59 Kc3 Ra3+ 60 Kb2, and wins.' It was on this final line that the 'Saavedra study' was originally based. It remains unclear whether Potter showed the manoeuvre just after the game had finished, or whether it was Zukertort's discovery when annotating the game. 4) Attention to the next game was drawn by Irving Chernev and Fred Reinfeld in The Fireside Book of Chess (page 75). It is a singular case of a game where the announced mating line was longer than the game itself! Potter N.N. London, 1870 Remove White's queen 1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bc4 Nf6 4.Nc3 Na5 5.Nxe5 Nxe4 6.d3 Nc5?? Looking at the incredible mistakes the odds-taker always makes in the games which are published, I often wonder how many dull and uninteresting games had to be played between master and beginner to produce one such brilliancy. Fortunately not every game played made it into the chess magazines in those days. After Black's last, Potter announced mate in nine moves: 7.Bxf7+ Ke7 8.Bg5+ Kd6 9.Nb5+! Kxe5 10.f4+ Kf5 11.Nd4+ Kg4 12.h3+ Kg3 13.Ne2+ (or 13.Nf5+) Kxg2 14.Bd5+ and mate next move. 5) Finally, and to Chess Cafe regulars this will not come as a surprise, Potter was an excellent chess journalist. Apart from the Westminster Papers, to which he contributed extensively during the Seventies, and later the chess column in Land and Water, it was first and foremost in the City of London Chess Magazine that his profound and often witty game annotations appeared. The reader will find a detailed review with many interesting excerpts from that outstanding magazine in this month's and next month's Kibitzer column by Tim Harding, also at The Chess Cafe. To complement those two articles, I would like to present here the condensed selection of Potter quotes which G.H. Diggle collected for his April 1982 Badmaster column in Newsflash: 'This move aims at nothing in particular, but the position affords no other target.' 'Misfortune is clearly coming up the avenue, but this move saves the unwelcome visitor from knocking at the door.' 'This game, now an obvious draw, was prolonged for 45 moves. Winawer should make his pedantic experiments at home and not insist on his opponents taking part in such uninteresting twaddle.' 'Mr Bird has one of the best pairs of chess eyes in existence, but here he fails to see that the Knight is no use at R5 correct is N-N2. Ultimately, it will be seen, by process of exhaustion rather than reflection, he gets hold of the right bellrope.' 'Steinitz condemns this sacrifice as unsound. We hope this condemnation will be a source of consolation to those who fall victims to it. Equally soothing no doubt was the dictum of the learned advocate who informed his client that he could not be put in the stocks. If the legs of the latter testified to the contrary, so much the worse for the legs.' 'I fail to see what there is against NxB followed by NxP. There may be unearthly voices saying "Beware!" but who cares what unearthly voices say?' 'The Tournament Opthalmia has evidently set in.' 'Just the kind of blunder with which this very wretched specimen of a game ought to finish.' 'If our eyes told us there was nothing better to be done than this, we should sternly ask them if they ever heard of Ananias. But of course very often our eyes can be right and we can be wrong.' 'There is a strong taste of Prussic Acid about this move.' 'And now Hope says she has an appointment elsewhere.' 'This is throwing the soup overboard altogether, and Black dispatches himself happily.' Compare that to the latest Chess Informator! And another entertaining quote which Diggle unearthed on pages 1-4 of the January 1969 BCM in an article on G.H.D. Gossip: 'When in London he [Gossip] was frequently at Simpson's or the City of London Chess Club, where on one occasion a witty contemporary found "nothing going on except Potter gossiping and Gossip pottering".' Next month we will return to Potter to look at his chess teachings and find one more good reason for remembering him: the 'Steinitz affair'.