A 6-year-old British boy, who began playing chess two years ago, defeated American master Orest Popovych last week in London, becoming the youngest player in the history of the game to defeat a master.
Reuters reported that George Hassapis took only 10 minutes and 19 moves to dismiss Popovych, a World Chess Federation (FIDE) master and United States Chess Federation (USCF) life master, in a game played on a giant board on the street at London's Marble Arch intersection.The publicity game was played ahead of the Lloyd's Bank Masters, Britain's premier chess event.
The other Hassapis children are also accomplished chess players.
George's 14-year-old brother, Denis, has already participated as the youngest player in the British chess championship, while his sister, Eleni, 11, has won the London junior championship for her age group.
Popovych is famous for his game against the legendary Bobby Fischer in 1956, which he lost.
- TOURNAMENT - The 1990 Weber Open Tournament will be held Labor Day weekend. Games will be played on Sept. 1 and 3 (Saturday and Monday).
It will be a five-round, Swiss system. John Minnoch will serve as director. He can be reached at 5154 South 2600 West in Roy, UT 84067. His telephone is 825-2689.
There are guaranteed prizes for first place and the highest scoring players in each section: A, B, C, D, E and unrated.
Fee for the tournament is $10. For non-members of the USCF there will be an additional fee of $7.50 so that the tournament can be officially rated.
Rounds will be played Sept. 1 at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. On Sept. 3, the rounds will be at 10 a.m., 1 p.m. and 5 p.m.
The tournament will be played in Ogden City's Newgate Mall, Community Room.
- THE QUEEN'S GAMBIT (continued) - The Queen's Gambit Accepted involves one of the best-known and at the same time most discussed problems in chess - the problem of the isolated pawn.
What is stronger - attack or blockade? What is more important - active pieces in the middle game or the prospects of an extra pawn in the endgame?
These questions that hover in the air around the "isolani" can never be considered an isolation. Even in a specific class of positions, in each, concrete circumstances and the evaluation of the relative strengths and weaknesses of the isolated pawns, will vary.
Here one must never forget that chess, besides being a science and a sport, is also a creative endeavor, and that this fact will take part in the overall scheme of things.
A feeling for the dynamics of the position will depend sometimes on very subtle points of intuition, taste and technique more than on dogma, dry statistics and an uncritical following of fashion.
To be able to understand the nuances of isolated pawn positions, one must undertake detailed study and gain practical experience of the Queen's Gambit Accepted.
The Queen's Gambit opening is: 1. P-Q4, P-Q4; 2. P-QB4.
The Queen's Gambit Accepted opening sequence is one in which black immediately captures the pawn: 1. P-Q4, P-Q4; P-QB4, PxP.
The Queen's Gambit Declined is any opening sequence in which black declines the immediate offer of white's pawn in the Queen's Gambit. Black has various means of declining the Queen's Gambit.
They are (you can look them up if you are interested): Albin Counter Gambit, Argentine Variation, Cambridge Springs Defense, Manhattan Variation, Marshall Defense, Jeran Defense, Orthodox Defense, Slav Defense, Symmetrical Defense, Tarrasch Defense and Tchigorin Defense. (Class dismissed!)
- CONGRATULATIONS to the solvers! Kim Barney, William D. Price, Brent Terry, Kevin Smullin, Stanley Hunt, Kay Lundstrom, Vali Kremer, Hal Harmon, William DeVroom, Ted Pathakis, Covert Copier, Joye McMulland, Ann Neil, Glennin Cloward, Michael Brough, Jack Crandall, Ronnie Millet, Edwin O. Smith, Eugene Wagstaff, Monroe Iversen, Aaron Brough, Peter Rogers, Richard Adams, Tim Painter, Gordon Green, John Neilsen, Raeburn Kennard, Nathan Kennard, Dean Thompson, David L. Evans, David C. Kirck, Paul R. Lindeman, Scott Mitchell, Ken Frost, Donovan Weight, Jim Turner, Stephen Kirk, Dale Brimley, David Ferguson, George Stucki.