This week, we are looking at one of the most infamous members of our game - someone who was not only challenged US Champions to matches, beat World Champions, and was a patent lawyer… but also someone who was arrested for auto fraud, was friends with notorious gangster Al Capone and was involved in the “Crime of the Century”, and eventually became an International Master at the age of 75 - Norman Whitaker.

--

1. e4 c5 2. d4 cxd4 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Bg7 6. Be3 Qa5+ 7. Nc3 Qe5 8. f4 Qc5 9. e5 Qb6 10. Nc2 Qd8 11. Be2 f6 12. exf6 Nxf6 13. O-O e6 14. Bc5 Bf8 15. Be3 Bg7 16. Nb5 Bf8 17. f5 exf5 18. Rxf5 gxf5 19. Bh5+ Nxh5 20. Qxh5+ Ke7 21. Bg5+ Ke6 22. Re1+ Ne5 23. Ncd4# 1-0

—

chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2208433

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Norman_T._Whitaker

http://cassidynoble.com/

Blindfold Chess Podcast Scholarship - https://64squarechessfund.org/

https://www.facebook.com/groups/418062169150605/posts/933592434264240/https://www.facebook.com/groups/418062169150605/posts/933592434264240/

https://texaschess.org/from-the-ivy-league-to-alcatraz-the-life-of-international-master-norman-t-whitaker/

http://www.chessarch.com/archive/0026_whitaker/whitaker.shtml

This week, we are looking at someone just a little different than our normal lineup. This person is NOT a Master, but their Youtube Channel - Hanging Pawns showcases the trials and tribulations of a tournament player on their way to chess mastery - Stjepan Tomic.

—

1. e4 c5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. d4 cxd4 4. Nxd4 g6 5. c4 Bg7 6. Be3 Qa5+ 7. Nc3 e6 8. Ndb5 Bxc3+ 9. Nxc3 Nge7 10. Qd2 O-O 11. Be2 a6 12. O-O Qc7 13. Rad1 Rb8 14. Bf4 e5 15. Bh6 Re8 16. Qg5 Nd8 17. Qf6 Ne6 18. Nd5 Qd8 19. Qxe5 Nxd5 20. cxd5 d6 21. Qc3 Qh4 22. dxe6 Qxh6 23. exf7+ Kxf7 24. Qc7+ Re7 25. Qxb8 Be6 26. Qxd6 Qg5 27. f4 Qa5 28. f5 gxf5 29. exf5 Bxa2 30. Bh5+ Kf8 31. f6 1-0

—

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=2584315

Youtube - https://www.youtube.com/@HangingPawns

His newest project - https://chessreads.com/

Forky Chess Interview - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pHGN6vCnZ6M

http://cassidynoble.com/

Blindfold Chess Podcast Scholarship - https://64squarechessfund.org/

This week we are looking at the Teacher of Germany, a World Championship challenger, a doctor, a top 5 player in the world for the better part of 2 decades, and someone so set in his chess ideological ways that his compatriots labeled him as “dogmatic” - Siegbert Tarrasch.

—

1. e4 c5 2. Nc3 e6 3. Nf3 Nc6 4. d4 cxd4 5. Nxd4 a6 6. Be2 Nge7 7. Be3 Ng6 8. O-O Be7 9. f4 O-O 10. Rf3 f5 11. exf5 Nxd4 12. Bxd4 exf5 13. Bc4+ Kh8 14. Nd5 b5 15. Bb6 Bc5+ 16. Bxc5 d6 17. Bb6 Qd7 18. Bb3 Bb7 19. Rh3 Bxd5 20. Rxh7+ Kxh7 21. Qh5+ Kg8 22. Bxd5+ Rf7 23. Qxg6 Rf8 24. Bd4 1-0

—

https://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1266412

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siegbert_Tarrasch

http://cassidynoble.com/

—

https://www.chess.com/blog/Steakanator/winners-pov-nuremberg-1888