Café Doney

Stefano Rosselli del Turco – Vittorio Volpi
1st Classification Tournament of Florence Chess Academy; Florence, 1899
French Defence C14

1. e4 e6 2. d4 d5 3. Nc3 Nf6 4. Bg5 Be7 5. e5 Nfd7 6. Bxe7 Qxe7 7. Nb5 Qb4+? A grave mistake. Already at that time, theory recommended either 7. ... Nb6 or 7. ... Qd8.
8. c3 Qa5 (8. ... Qxb2 9. Rb1+−)
9. Qd2. The Nuova Rivista degli Scacchi, Nos. 1-2, February 25, 1900, from where we took the present game (pp. 33–34), notes, with some reason, that “9. b4! Qb6 10. a4! at once was stronger”.
9. ... a6 10. Na3 c5 11. Nf3 cxd4 12. cxd4 Nc6 13. Nc2 Qxd2+ 14. Nxd2 f6 15. f4 0-0 16. Bd3 fxe5 17. fxe5 Rf4 18. Nf3 Nf8 19. 0-0 Ng6 20. Bxg6 hxg6 21. Nd2? A tactical slip, which luckily for Rosselli del Turco passes unnoticed. White should have first driven out the Black Rook with 21. g3.
21. ... Rxf1+? Black could have simply won a Pawn with 21. ... Nxd4! 22. Rxf4 Ne2+.
22. Rxf1 Bd7 23. Nf3 Rf8 24. Ng5 Rxf1+ 25. Kxf1 Ne7 26. g4 Kf8 27. Kf2 Ng8 28. Nb4 Nh6 29. Kg3 Nf7. “Black wasted so much time to come to exchange a Knight that was so useful to him!”, writes the commentator of the Nuova Rivista degli Scacchi. “This is an error of strategy!”.
30. Nxf7 Kxf7 31. Kf4 Bb5 32. Nc2 Bd3 33. Ne3 Be4? And this can well be called the losing move!

34. Nc4!+− dxc4 35. Kxe4 b5 36. d5 exd5+ 37. Kxd5 Ke7 38. a3! Kd7 39. Kc5 Ke6 40. Kb6 Kxe5 41. Kxa6 Kf4 42. Kxb5 Kxg4 43. a4 1–0.

Quelli che non benpensano

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Notes by Johann Jacob Löwenthal

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Marchese Gondi – Gerolamo Tassinari
Florence, a day in the life
Queen’s Gambit Accepted D20

1. d4 d5 2. c4 dxc4. Heydebrandt and other authorities consider it better to decline the gambit by playing 2. ... e6. We believe that the gambit may be accepted with safety. The style of the player, however, must in a great measure guide him as to the course he should adopt. If he has a predilection for close games, he will do well to decline the gambit, but if he prefers an open or attacking he may accept it boldly. 3. Nc3. 3. e3 is generally recommended. 3. ... Nf6 4. e4. 4. e3 is given in the Handbook. 4. ... e6 5. Bxc4 c6 6. Nge2 Be7 7. 0-0 b5 8. Bd3 Bb7 9. a3 Nbd7 10. Be3 0-0 11. f4 Ng4 12. Rf3 a6 13. Rc1 c5. A good move, as the sequel shows. 14. d5. Taking Pawn with Pawn would have been bad, Black wou’d have replied with 14. ... Nxe3, following it up with ... Be7xc5, winning, at least, the Exchange. 14. ... c4 15. Bb1 Nxe3 16. Rxe3 Bc5 17. Nd4 Qb6 18. Nce2 exd5 19. e5 f6 20. e6 Rae8 21. Kh1. Necessary, as Black threatened to capture the advanced Pawn. 21. ... Nb8 22. Rh3 f5 23. b4. 23. Bxf5 would have been preferable. 23. ... cxb3 24. Nxb3 Bxa3 25. Ned4. A useless sacrifice, which turns the tables in favour of Black. White should have played 25. Rcc3, maintaining the attack. 25. ... Bxc1 26. Qh5 h6 27. Bxf5

27. ... Nd7. Black conducts the attack with great ability. 28. Qg6 Nf6 29. Rxh6 Bxf4 30. Rh7 Re7 31. Bc2 Ne4. After this White’s game was past redemption. 32. Bxe4 dxe4 33. Nf5 Rxf5 34. Qxf5 Qf2 0 : 1. And White surrenders. (Johann Jacob Löwenthal, The Chess Player’s Magazine, 1865, pages 88-89).

As The British Chess Magazine says in its January 1948 issue, at page 16, the Marchese Gondi was the maternal grandfather of Stefano Rosselli del Turco.

Le Journal de Genève

Dal professor Mauro Berni riceviamo e volentieri pubblichiamo un’inedita del marchese Stefano Rosselli del Turco, desunta da Le Journal de Genève, 25 agosto 1938, p. 5:

Stefano Rosselli del Turco – Walter Henneberger
Incontro Svizzera – Italia; Losanna, 15 luglio 1938
Bogo-Indiana E11

Il virgolettato è di André Chéron. Nostro il corsivo.

1. d4 Cf6 2. c4 e6 3. g3 Ab4+ 4. Ad2 Axd2+ 5. Cxd2 Cc6 6. Cgf3 d6 7. Ag2 0-0 8. 0-0 De7 9. Tc1 e5 10. d5 Cd8 11. e4 Ce8 12. De2. “Troppo passiva. In risposta all’attacco sull’ala di Re che il Nero vuole intraprendere con ... f7-f5, il Bianco avrebbe dovuto cercare le sue contropossibilità sull’ala di Donna e attaccare con b2-b4 seguita da c4-c5”. 12. ... g6 13. Ch4 f5 14. exf5 gxf5 15. Ah3 Cg7 16. f4 e4 17. b4 Df6 18. Cb3 Ad7 19. De3 Cf7 20. Cd4 a5 21. b5 b6 22. Dc3 Ch6 23. Cg2 Dg6 24. Ce3 Ch5 25. Tc2 Rf7 26. Cg2 Tg8 27. Ch4 Df6 28. Rh1 Tg7 29. Ce2 Tag8 30. Dxf6+ Rxf6 31. Cd4? “Abbandona g3 e permette il colpo:” 31. ... Txg3! 32. hxg3 Cxg3+ 33. Rh2 Cxf1+ 34. Axf1 Cg4+ 35. Rh1 Ce3 36. Tf2 Tg3 37. Ae2. “Il Nero minacciava di guadagnare il Cavallo bianco con ... Ce3xf1 seguita da ... Tg3-h3+. Migliore era 37. Rh2”. Tuttavia, anche dopo 37. Rh2 Cxf1+ 38. Txf1 Tc3 il Bianco è in imbarazzo. 37. ... Cg4 38. Axg4 fxg4 39. Cg2 Td3 40. Cc2 g3 41. Te2. Se 41. Tf1 allora 41. ... Td2-+. 41. ... Td1+ 42. Cge1 Ag4! 43. Tg2. “Il Bianco si decide a sacrificare la Qualità, poiché se 43. Te3 Af3+ 44. Rg1 e il Ph7 avanza a passi da gigante con effetti decisivi”. 43. ... Af3 44. Rg1 Axg2 45. Rxg2 Td2+ 46. Rxg3 Te2! “Immobilizzando entrambi i Cavalli bianchi: per uno che si muove, l’altro è preso dalla Torre”. 47. Rg4 Rg6. “La partita è virtualmente un finale di Re e Pedoni in cui il Nero ha il vantaggio decisivo del Pedone passato lontano: h7 contro f4”. 48. a4 Rf6 49. Rg3 h5. “49. ... Rf5?? 50. Cd4+ e Cd4xe2”. 50. Rh4 Th2+ 51. Rg3 Td2 52. Ce3. “Il Nero minacciava ... Rf6-f5 non appena il Re bianco avesse abbandonato la casa g3”. 52. ... Ta2 53. Rh4 Txa4 54. Rxh5 Ta1 55. C1g2 a4 56. Cg4+ Rf7 57. f5 Th1+ 58. Rg5 a3 59. C2e3 a2 60. Cc2 Tc1 61. Cge3

61. ... Txc2! 0 : 1. “Il Bianco abbandona, poiché dopo 62. Cxc2 e3! uno dei due Pedoni neri promuove”.