Saturday, April 25, 2009

ENGR. ANSELMO "JUN " ATMOSFERA JR. - A PILLAR OF TORIL CHESS

April 25, 2009 6:00 P.M


( Engr. Jun Atmosfera vs. Atty. Jong Guevarra in 1st round action during the 1st IM Marlo Micayabas Toril Chess Challenge 2009 )


( Engr. Atmosfera of Team Fischer vs. ASEAN under 12 champ John Ray Batucan of Team Kramnik in the 1st Congressman Ungab Toril Team Tournament )


Engr. Jun Atmosfera is one of the reasons why Toril Chess is still alive and kicking, so to speak. He sponsored some local tournaments and bankrolled the participation of Toril Chess team lead by National Master Miguel Te in the National Inter-Cities Team Tournament in the 1990's when he was still the manager of Borden Chemicals Inc..

Engr. Atmosfera started his chess career as the Team Captain of UST Engineering Team that won three consecutive intramural chess tournaments from 1961-1964. NM Sammy Estimo was the board 1 player for the Law team during that time.He was also the Toril Open Chess champion in 1974 and 1981 and became the Davao Executive Chess champion in 2002. Just recently, he lead the Fischer team in capturing the 1st Cong.Ungab Cup Toril Team Tournament. He is a mean tactical player and thrives in open and complicated position. Watch how he demolished one of Davao City's top player Engr. Nofre Reyes.

2nd Pelagio Guevarra Memorial Chess Tourney, Gaisano Mall, Davao City
Finals, Round 8, July 13, 2003 Time control: 30mins/player
Opening: Sicilian, Najdorf variation

Atmosfera, Jun (White) vs. Reyes, Nofre (Black)
( Annotations by Engr. Jun Atmosfera )

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5

The Richter-Rauzer attack.

6...e6 7.f4 Qc7 8.Qf3 Nbd7 9.0-0-0 Be7 10.g4 b5
11.Bxf6 Nxf6 12. g5 Nd7 13.f5

The Asfora gambit, named after a Brazilian FIDE Master, M. Asfora, who used it extensively in the 70's. The stem game, however, is between Parma and Bogdanovic at Titovo Uzice, 1966. After Parma's 13.f5, the game continued 13...Nc5 14.f6 gxf6 15.gxf6 Bf8 16.Bh3 Bd7 17.Qh5 0-0-0 18.Qxf7 Bh6+ 19.Kb1 Rdf8 20.Qh5 Rxf6 21.e5! dxe5
22.Nxe6! Bxe6 23.Nd5 Qf7 24.Qxe5 Bxh3 25.Nxf6 Na4 26.Rd6! Black's position was hopeless - analysis by GM Svetozar Gligoric, "Game of the Month", Chess Life and Review, Dec. 1974).

13...Bxg5+

At first glance, it seems that White blundered by giving away a pawn with check, which is very tempting not to grab.

14.Kb1 Ne5 15.Qh5 Qe7 16.Nxe6 Bxe6 17.fxe6 g6

Better was 17... 0-0.

18.exf7+ Kxf7 19.Qe2 Kg7 20.Nd5 Qb7?

Best was Qd8 to prevent White's next move. Black is giving too many concessions. In the post-mortem analysis, Nofre said that he made this move to have an attack on the e4 pawn.

21.h4 Be7 22.h5 Rhf8 23.hg hg 24.Qe3 Rh8

Maybe Ng4 is better although White can play either 25.Qc3+ or Qd4+.

25.Be2 Rxh1 26.Rxh1 Rh8 27.Rxh8 Kxh8 28.Qh6+ Kg8 29.Bg4! Kf7?

Taking the bishop would have been a lesser evil as White wins only the g6 pawn. After the text, White has a forced win.

30.Qh7+ Ke8 31.Qg8+ Bf8 32.Nf6+ Ke7 33.Qe6+ Kd8 34.Qe8+ Kc7 35.Nd5+

Black's Queen is lost.

Qxd5 36.exd5 Nxg4 37.Qxf8 1-0

The term "Asfora Gambit" was first used by Mr. Arthur Sales (I wonder if he is related to FM Jesse Noel Sales), a chess columnist of the old newspaper Bulletin Today dated May 18, 1973, under his column "Chess Corner". In Bobby Ang's Chess Piece article of March 7, 2003, he featured the game between GM Bojan Vuckovic and IM Nakamura at Bermuda, 2002 which Nakamura won by accepting the g5 pawn after 13.f5Also mentioned in the notes to that game was the late NM Ben Flores' win in a crucial game as black by taking the gambit pawn against Iceland's GM Jon Gunnarsson in the 1998 Elista World Chess Olympiad.

Replay the game using CAISSA'S WEB PGN Editor

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