Chess Games of Sam Sloan

The following are seven games in which I have defeated players who were at least international master strength. All of these were rated tournament games played in real chess tournaments. My seven opponents were Browne, Vucic, Michael Shahade, Peters, Blumenfeld, Gruchacz and George Makropoulos. All of them are at least international masters, although some of them did not have the title at the time that I defeated them.

You will notice one common characteristic in all of these games. In every game, I sacrificed something. Some wag might suggest that I blundered and left all of those pieces en prise, but in reality, I did not. Also, in every game, I tended to win in the endgame or in the late middle game. Usually, when a player defeats a much stronger opponent, the stronger player fell into an opening trap or blundered early on. However, since I do not know openings, my best chance to win generally comes if I can somehow manage to survive until the endgame.

These are all good games. My game against Browne was published in the February, 1968 Chess Life. My game against Shahade was published in the New York Times, as I recall, but I did not save the clipping, so I cannot give the date. However, my best and most interesting game was against International Master Mladen Vucic, in which I sacrificed my queen, and that has not been published at all.

[Event "American Open"]
[Site "Santa Monica (USA)"]
[Date "1967.11.23"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Sloan, Sam"]
[Black " Browne, Walter S "]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B31"]

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bb5 g6 4. O-O Bg7 5. c3 Nf6 6. Re1 O-O 7. d4 cxd4 8. cxd4 d5 9. e5 Ne4 10. Nc3 Nxc3 11. bxc3 Qa5 12. Bf1 Bg4 13. Qd3 Bxf3 14. gxf3 e6 15. Bh3 Rfc8 16. Be3 Qa3 17. Bf1 Na5 18. Qb5 a6 19. Qb4 Rxc3 20. Qxa3 Rxa3 21. Rec1 b5 22. Rc5 Bf8 23. Rc7 Nc4 24. Bxc4 dxc4 25. h4 Rc3 26. h5 b4 27. hxg6 hxg6 28. Kg2 a5 29. d5 Bg7 30. dxe6 fxe6 31. Rh1 Rc2 32. Rb7 Rxa2 33. Bg5 Rf8 34. Bf6 Rxf6 35. exf6 Bxf6 36. Rb8+ Kg7 37. Rb7+ Be7 {37...Kg8 leads to a draw.} 38. Rxe7+ Kf6 39. Rhh7 Ke5 40. f4+ ! Kd6 ? 41. Rc7 !! Kd5 42. Rhd7+ Ke4 43. Rxc4+ Kf5 44. Rf7+ Kg4 45. f5+ Kg5 46. fxe6 Re2 47. e7 b3 48. e8=Q ! Rxe8 49. Rb7 { Resigns. This game is published in Chess Life, February, 1968, page 55. This was the first game Browne had lost in a Swiss tournament in six months.} 1-0

[Event "Albena International"]
[Site "Albena (Bulgaria)"]
[Date "1986.06.08"]
[Round "5"]
[White " Vucic, Mladen "]
[Black "Sloan, Sam"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A40"]

1. d4 e5 2. dxe5 Nc6 3. Nf3 Qe7 4. Qd5 f6 5. exf6 Nxf6 6. Qd1 d5 7. g3 Bg4 8. Bg2 O-O-O 9. O-O h5 10. Bg5 Qd7 11. Nbd2 Bc5 12. Nb3 Bb6 13. Nbd4 Rde8 14. Bxf6 gxf6 15. Nxc6 Qxc6 16. Qd3 h4 17. e3 hxg3 18. hxg3 f5 19. Rfe1 Qh6 20. Qxd5 c6 21. Qd3 Rd8 22. Qc4 Bh3 23. Qf4 Bxg2 24. Qxh6 Bxf3 25. Qh4 Rxh4 26. gxh4 Rg8+ 27. Kf1 Rh8 28. Rec1 Rxh4 29. Ke1 Rh2 30. a4 f4 31. exf4 Rxf2 32. Ra3 Bg4 33. a5 Bd4 34. Rg3 Rxf4 35. Kd2 Bxb2 36. Rcg1 Be6 37. c3 Rf2+ 38. Ke3 Rc2 39. Kd4 Kc7 40. Rg7+ Kd6 41. R1g3 c5+ 42. Ke4 Rxc3 0-1

[Event "U. S. Amateur Championship"]
[Site "Philadelphia (USA)"]
[Date "1969.06.01"]
[Round "5"]
[White " Shahade, Michael "]
[Black "Sloan, Sam"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B14"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. c4 c6 4. d4 cxd5 5. Nc3 g6 6. Bg5 Bg7 7. c5 Nc6 8. Bb5 O-O 9. Nf3 Bg4 10. Bxc6 bxc6 11. h3 Bxf3 12. Qxf3 Rb8 13. O-O-O Qa5 14. a3 Rb3 15. Bf4 Ne4 16. Rd3 Qa6 17. Rhd1 e5 18. dxe5 Nxc5 19. Re3 Qc4 20. Kc2 d4 21. Qe2 Rxc3+ 22. bxc3 Qa2+ 23. Kc1 Nb3# 0-1

[Event "Continental Amateur Championship"]
[Site "New Haven (USA)"]
[Date "1969.03.07"]
[Round "2"]
[White " Peters, John A "]
[Black "Sloan, Sam"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B01"]

1. e4 d5 2. exd5 Nf6 3. d4 Nxd5 4. c4 Nb6 5. Nf3 g6 6. Be2 Bg7 7. O-O O-O 8. Nc3 Nc6 9. d5 Na5 10. c5 Bxc3 11. cxb6 Bg7 12. bxc7 Qxc7 13. Qa4 Bd7 14. Qh4 b6 15. Bh6 Qd6 16. Ng5 f6 17. Nxh7 Rf7 18. Bf4 Qb4 19. Bd3 Bf5 20. Bxf5 gxf5 21. a3 Qxb2 22. Rfb1 Qe2 23. Rb4 Qg4 {White resigns. An early loss by future International Master John Peters.} 0-1

[Event "Greater New York Adult Championship"]
[Site "New York (USA)"]
[Date "1970.??.??"]
[Round "3"]
[White " Blumenfeld, Rudy "]
[Black "Sloan, Sam"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "A38"]

1. c4 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. Nc3 O-O 5. Nf3 c5 6. O-O Nc6 7. d3 d6 8. a3 Bd7 9. Rb1 Qc8 10. Re1 Bh3 11. Bh1 h5 12. b4 Nd4 13. bxc5 dxc5 14. Nxd4 cxd4 15. Bxb7 Qe6 16. Ne4 Rab8 17. Ng5 Qd7 18. Nxh3 Rxb7 19. Rxb7 Qxh3 20. f3 h4 21. e4 hxg3 22. Re2 Nh5 23. hxg3 Qxg3+ 24. Rg2 Qh3 25. Rb5 Bf6 26. f4 Kh7 27. Rh2 Qg3+ 28. Kh1 Rh8 29. e5 Bh4 30. f5 Kg7 31. fxg6 fxg6 32. Rbb2 Qxe5 33. Rbg2 Ng3+ 34. Kg1 Nf5 35. Qf3 Ne3 36. Re2 Rf8 37. Bxe3 dxe3 38. Qxe3 Qa1+ 39. Re1 Qxe1+ 40. Qxe1 Bxe1 41. Re2 Bh4 42. c5 Bf6 43. Kg2 Rc8 44. Rc2 Kf7 45. Kf3 Ke6 46. Ke4 Rh8 47. c6 Kd6 48. a4 Rc8 {White resigns} 0-1

[Event "Greater New York Open Championship"]
[Site "New York (USA)"]
[Date "1976.??.??"]
[Round "2"]
[White "Sloan, Sam"]
[Black " Gruchacz, Robert "]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "A07"]

1. Nf3 Nf6 2. g3 g6 3. Bg2 Bg7 4. O-O O-O 5. d3 d5 6. a3 b6 7. Nbd2 Bb7 8. c4 c5 9. b4 dxc4 10. Nxc4 Nd5 11. Bd2 cxb4 12. axb4 Bxa1 13. Qxa1 f6 14. h4 Nc7 15. Bh6 Re8 16. h5 Nba6 17. Nce5 gxh5 18. g4 Qd6 19. Nc4 Qe6 20. g5 Rab8 21. Nd4 Qd7 22. e4 Ne6 23. Bh3 Nac7 24. Nxe6 Nxe6 25. gxf6 exf6 26. Qxf6 Qf7 27. Qxf7+ Kxf7 28. Nd6+ Kg6 29. Nxe8 Kxh6 30. Bxe6 Rxe8 31. Bc4 Rc8 32. f3 Kg5 33. Kf2 Kf4 34. Rh1 Kg5 35. Ke3 a5 36. f4+ Kh6 37. bxa5 bxa5 38. Ra1 Ra8 39. Rb1 Bc8 40. f5 Kg5 41. Rg1+ Kf6 42. Kf4 Bxf5 43. exf5 Rd8 44. Ra1 Rd4+ 45. Ke3 Rg4 46. Rxa5 Rg3+ 47. Kf4 Rg4+ 48. Kf3 Rg1 49. Be6 h4 50. Ra7 Rg3+ 51. Kf4 {Black resigns. A great upset.} 1-0

[Event "Active Chess Championship"]
[Site "Dubai (United Arab Emirates)"]
[Date "1988.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Makropoulos Georgios"]
[Black "Sloan Sam"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C44"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. c3 Nf6 4. d4 Nxe4 5. d5 Bc5 6. dxc6 Bxf2+ 7. Ke2 bxc6 8. Qa4 f5 9. Nbd2 O-O 10. Nxe4 fxe4 11. Qxe4 d5 12. Qxe5 Re8 13. Qxe8+ Qxe8+ 14. Kxf2 Bg4 15. Be2 Qe4 16. Re1 Bxf3 17. Bxf3 Qh4+ 18. Kf1 Qxh2 19. Be3 Re8 20. Bxa7 Ra8 21. Bg1 Qf4 22. Be3 Qc4+ 23. Be2 Qe4 24. Bd4 Qc2 25. a3 Qxb2 26. a4 c5 27. Bxc5 Qxc3 28. Red1 Qf6+ 29. Kg1 Qe5 30. Bb5 d4 31. Ra3 c6 32. Bxc6 Rc8 33. Rf3 h5 34. Bb4 Qe6 35. Re1 Qxc6 36. a5 Qc4 37. Bd2 Qc2 38. Rf2 d3 39. Re7 Rf8 40. Rxf8+ Kxf8 41. Bg5 d2 42. Bxd2 Kxe7 43. Be3 Qd1+ 0-1

Contact address - please send e-mail to the following address: Sloan@ishipress.com