Sloan defeats Shahade, Finishes Second in 1969 US Amateur Championship

Sloan defeats Shahade, Finishes Second in 1969 US Amateur Championship

Newspaper clipping from the New York Times.

I have been looking for this newspaper clipping from the New York Times for years.

Here is the clipping in PDF Format.

I need to thank Bruce Monson, author of a book on the Belgrade Gambit, for helping me to find it.

Chess in The New York Times
Sloan defeats Shahade, Finishes Second in 1969 US Amateur Championship


United States Amateur Championship
By AI HOROWITZ
New York Times; Jul 20, 1969: pg. D16

Chess
United States Amateur Championship
By Al Horowitz

THE recent United States Amateur Championship in Philadelphia was won by the New Jersey expert Kimball Nedved, who swept the Swiss system field 6-0. Sam Sloan finished second: 5 1/2-1/2. Five players tied for third with 5-1 each: Richard Pariseau, George Millar, Ross Nickle, Denis Strenzwilk and Jack Kepler.

This event, which attracted over 250 players for the championship and reserve sections, produced a bounty of sharp, tactical triumphs that should be included in any volume on sparkling brevities.

In the Schliemann Defense to the Ruy Lopez, Nedved vs. Millar, White's early reaction to Black's speculative debut is mild indeed. But after this innocent start White molds a kingside assault studded with thematic ideas, containing Black's fluent development.

It is classically instructive to observe how much of Black's army is bottled up away from any action because of the unyielding stand of White's pawn on KB5.

White winds up most brilliantly, giving up s bishop and thereby forcing checkmate, delivered by the white pawn at KN7. However. not to be overlooked is the amazingly original maneuver by White's knight on the eighth rank. This is the propelling high-powered engine that sparks the combustion.

[Event "U.S. Amateur Championship"]
[Site "Philadelphia PA"]
[Date "1969.05.30"]
[Round "06"]
[White "Nedved, Kimball"]
[Black "Millar, George"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "C63"]
[WhiteElo "2198"]
[BlackElo "2100"]

1.e4 e5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 f5 4.d3 fxe4 5.dxe4 Nf6 6.Nc3 Bb4 7.O-O
Bxc3 8.bxc3 d6 9.Bg5 O-O 10.Qd3 Qe8 11.Nd2 a6 12.Ba4 Be6 13.f4
Qh5 14.Bxf6 Rxf6 15.f5 Bf7 16.Rf3 Rh6 17.Rh3 Qg5 18.Rg3 Qf6
19.Rb1 Na5 20.Nf3 Kh8 21.Ng5 Bg8 22.Bd7 Rh5 23.Ne6 b5 24.Nxg7 Rg5
25.Ne8 Rxg3 26.Qxg3 Qe7 27.f6 Qxd7 28.Qg7+ Qxg7 29.fxg7# 1-0
In the Center Counter Game, Michael Shahade, defending U. S. amateur titleholder, vs. Sloan, the battle wages psychologically for a clear-cut decision, owing to each player's need for a full point to emerge on top.

With 7 P-B5, of course, White is committed to a rigid pawn skeleton on the queen wing. But Shahade hopes the ending will favor him on account of the backwardness of Black's queenside pawns.

With admirable resolution White castles long in the face of Black's rook, commanding a partly-opened file. He even dares to play 14 P-R3, allowing the rook to squat menacingly: 14 . R-N6. Calmly, with 15 B-B4, White sights on his QN8 and prevents Black's doubling of rooks, nullifying the advance of Black's knights with 15...N-K5.

However, Black has the final convincer. It is 17 ... P-K4. This push breaks down the true bastion of the first player's defense. If he takes the advancing unit or ignores it, he is doomed.

[Event "U. S. Amateur Championship"]
[Site "Philadelphia (USA)"]
[Date "1969.05.30"]
[Round "05"]
[White "Shahade,Michael (USA)"]
[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
In the Caro-Kann Defense, C. Heising vs. Nedved, White's loss of time by irrelevancies-6 P-B5 and 8 B-B3--gives Black the opportunity for a sharp and decisive pawn break with 9 ... P-K4.

From this point on, White's game quickly disintegrates, even though with 15. O-O he pretends to hold out. Perhaps White forgets that the easiest way out of a painful tableau is a graceful resignation.

[Event "U. S. Amateur Championship"]
[Site "Philadelphia PA"]
[Date "1969.05.29"]
[Round "04"]
[White "Heising, C."]
[Black "Nedved, Kimball"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B14"]
[WhiteElo "2100"]
[BlackElo "2198"]

1.e4 c6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 cxd5 4.c4 Nf6 5.Nc3 g6 6.c5 Bg7 7.Be2 O-O
8.Bf3 Nc6 9.Nge2 e5 10.dxe5 Nxe5 11.Bxd5 Nxd5 12.Nxd5 Bg4 13.f3
Nxf3+ 14.gxf3 Bxf3 15.O-O Bxd5 16.Qd3 Bc6 17.Qxd8 Raxd8 18.Bg5 f6
19.Bf4 Rfe8 20.Rf2 g5 21.Bd6 f5 22.Rd1 f4 23.h4 h6 24.hxg5 hxg5
25.b3 Re4 26.Kf1 Rde8 27.a4 Re3 28.Nxf4 gxf4 0-1
Reproduced with permission of the copyright owner. Further reproduction prohibited without permission.


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