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Grampy Bobby
Boston Lad

USA

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White: "US Master Weaver Adams (1901-1963) won the US Open in 1948. In 1939, he wrote a book entitled, 'White to Playand Win'.

After publication, he played a tournament in Dallas. He lost all his games as White and won all his games as Black!" -LoveUChess

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FL

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Unfortunately that needs to be filed under "Strange, but not quite true".

The tournament in question was the 1940 US Open. Weaver Adams was =1st in his preliminary section and then =3rd (out of 9) in the Championship. In the Championship he scored 4/4 with Black and 0.5/4 with White.

( see http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1021271 )

greenpawn34

e4

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Hi GB & FL.

OK so we call the book 'White to Play and Draw one in the three Games.'
(The next step is to find the drawn game and see if Black missed a win.)

Publishing an opening book carries a curse.
In one famous case Michael Stean brought out a book on the Najdrof.
A few years after publication he lost a Najdorf in 15 moves.

A. Beliavsky - M.Stean, Lucerne Olympiad 1982

FL

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This is probably the game that Adams drew in the 1940 US Open. Unfortunately he played Kendall in the preliminary tournament as well, so it's possible that this game is from there.



Adams had a winning advantage but through it away with a series of careless mistakes starting with 21. c5. However he was never in any danger of losing.

greenpawn34

e4

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Good find Fat Lady.

Interesting game. Perhaps the new agreed title should be.
White to Play and Nearly Win...Sometimes.

Paul Leggett
Chess Librarian

The Stacks

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Originally posted by Fat Lady
Unfortunately that needs to be filed under "Strange, but not quite true".

The tournament in question was the 1940 US Open. Weaver Adams was =1st in his preliminary section and then =3rd (out of 9) in the Championship. In the Championship he scored 4/4 with Black and 0.5/4 with White.

( see http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chesscollection?cid=1021271 )
I suppose we should replace the word "lost" and instead say "failed to win any games as white, but won all his games as black".

It is more accurate, but preserves some of the novelty.

w

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If publishing a book carries a curse, that is perhaps why some people have said of Nimzowitsch that he cared about his "system" only when analysing his games, not when playing them !

e

timed out again

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Very unusual thread. There is a thread about the OP, perhaps he has been banned from the forums. Who knows?

Thread 148059

He can't have been completely banned as he is still moving.

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