AUTO-CHESS-O-GRAPHY 22

In this Bulletin we resume the popular column, in which one of our members is selected to tell us about himself. This time we invited our long standing and prominent member Shri Shams Khan to send his write up.

Name: Shams Khan

Date of Birth:11/07/1935

Address: Afghanan, AMROHA (U.P)

Phone: 05922-266092 Mobile: 9897066092

Email: shamskhan2005@yahoo.co.in
Mother tongue: Urdu. I also know Hindi and Persian well

Family: Pathan

Profession: Agriulture

Other Interests: Weight Lifting, Bodybuilding and Wrestling

Learnt Chess: In 1949

Performance in OTB: Secured first place in Bijnore District 1976, 1977 and in Chandausiin1982. Participated in All India Chess Tournament in 1973, where I drew against Syed Nasir Ali (one time Indian Champion) and M.R.Wahi (several times Delhi Champion and member Indian Olympiad team) with Black pieces.

Performance in CC: I have lost only a few games

The Editor adds: Shri Shams Khan has never been at the top of the AICCF Rating List, yet he has many victories against noted players to his credit. His low rating does not reflect his real CC playing skill which is of a very high order. This is because he shuns the clerical work associated with Correspondence Chess and concentrates solely on the moves. Thus there have been many claims that have gone against him and several instances of 0-0 (no result) because he does not send moves under COP, and finds it difficult to maintain detailed records of dates, reminders etc. His highest rating was 1053 in July 2002. In the early days of AICCF he was near the top and earned the reputation of being a formidable opponent. Then came a phase in which because he didn’t loge claims his rating reached the minimum. By 2000 his rating had recovered to 926 and since then it is maintained in the range of 940 to 1053.

The official record of his results up to January 2006 is

Shri Shams Khan’s statement, “I have lost only a few games” is because a substantial portion of the officially recorded 91 losses are wherein the opponent was awarded a win by default.

Recently Khan saab has started playing in the International arena as well. He has replaced Dr. Chatterjee in the ICCF Olympiad 16 Preliminaries

Favourite First Move: 1.e4
Favourite Opening: King's Gambit, QGA, Centre Counter, Marshall Gambit
Favourite Chess Players: Lasker, Tal, Ficher, Rubinstein, Marshall, Kasparov, Karpov.
Favourite Chess Book: Oxford Chess Companion
Favourite CC Players: S.K.Somani, A.G.Nagaradjane, Kalapi B.Trivedi, M.Satheesan
My Interesting Games: Pillsbury and Lasker's duet

Ed: Probably Shri Shams Khan may be referring to the famous game (printed below) played between these players at the St. Petersburg Tournament 1895-96 in which Lasker won brilliantly sacrificing two rooks, one after another, on the same square!

Pilsbury, H. - Lasker, E.

St. Petersburg, 1896

QGD, Semi Tarrasch D40

1.d4 d5 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Nf6 4.Nf3 c5 5.Bg5 cxd4 6.Qxd4 Nc6 7.Qh4?! Be7 8.O-O-O?! Qa5 9.e3 Bd7 10.Kb1 h6! 11.cxd5 exd5 12.Nd4 O-O! 13.Bxf6 Bxf6 14.Qh5 Nxd4 15.exd4 Be6! 16.f4 Rac8 17.f5

17…Rxc3!! 18.fxe6 Ra3!! 19.exf7+ Rxf7 20.bxa3 Qb6+ 21.Bb5! Qxb5+ 22.Ka1 Rc7? 23.Rd2 Rc4 24.Rhd1? Rc3? 25.Qf5 Qc4 26.Kb2? Rxa3 27.Qe6+ Kh7 28.Kxa3 Qc3+ 29.Ka4 b5+! 30.Kxb5 Qc4+ 31.Ka5 Bd8+ 0-1

Comments about AICCFs Progress since inception: Unconceivable and unpredictable.
Comments about AICCFs Future: Bright
Comments about the standard of games in AICCF Bulletin: Standard is fine, but drawn games without any peculiarity should be avoided.
Comments about the AICCF Bulletin: If we compare the first bulletin, published in April 1994 with the last one, it will speak for itself

Comments about the work put in AICCF Management team past and present: Our staff from its origin is very cooperative, but the most credit goes to Mr.Mehrhomji.
Any other point of interest: Reading, reading, and more reading. Similarly, playing, playing, and more playing.

About AutoChessOGraphy: It was started in the February 1995 bulletin, and the first player was introduced was Mr.K.V.Laxminarayana After that we saw and 21 players introduced trough these columns but no more after Feb.2002, which introduced Mr.Dushyant Tyagi.

My Best Games:

Ed: Shams Khan’s games have appeared in the Games Section of almost every issue of the AICCF Bulletin. He has acquired the reputation of conjuring up miniatures. As we know, producing a miniature game in CC is quite a feat. In this Bulletin too, the Games Section has two games played by Shams Khan. Here we give 2 miniatures, not published before, which Mr. Khan enjoyed. They are not profound games, but amusing episodes from CC and OTB.

Nagaradjane, A.G. - Khan, Shams

Friendly CC Game

French Defence, C01

In this unofficial CC game, Shams Khan demonstrates that he does not miss tactical opportunities. The game was played at the time when use of computers in CC was not permitted.

1.e4 e6 2.d4 d5 3.exd5 exd5 4.Bd3 Nc6 5.c3 Bd6 6.Qf3 Nf6 7.h3 O-O 8.Ne2 Ne4 9.Bxe4 dxe4 10.Qxe4 Qf6 11.Be3 Be6 12.Nd2 Rfe8 13.Qf3 Qxf3 14.Nxf3 Bd5 15.Kd2 Rad8

Upto now the game is balanced.

16.Nf4?

As Shams Khan shows, this move is a blunder. 16.Rae1 or 16.Rhe1 would have been fine for White.

16...Bxf3 17.gxf3 Bxf4 18.Bxf4

18...Nxd4!

Exploits the fact that white’s bishop is unprotected.

0-1

Khan, Shams - Sharma, H.O.

Friendly OTB Game

Kings Gambit, C37

Hari Om Sharma is a rated player. He was champion of Delhi, as well as U.P. In this game Shams Khan surprises him with a King's Gambit.

1.e4 e5 2.f4 exf4 3.Nf3 g5 4.Bc4 g4 5.O-O

The Muzio, a cavalier Gambit from the romantic days of chess. In those days White even used to give up two pieces with a Double Muzio.

5...gxf3 6.Qxf3 Qf6 7.e5 Qxe5 8.d3

8.Bxf7+ is the main line (The Double Muzio). White gives up a second piece for some fireworks along the f-file. Fischer in his well known book, "My 60 Memorable Games" has remarked that while nobody plays this line in modern times, it has been analysed to a draw.

8...Bh6 9.Bd2 Ne7 10.Nc3 O-O 11.Rae1 Qc5+ 12.Kh1 Ng6 13.Ne4

Let us look at the position. Black is still a piece and pawn up. But White has all his pieces in play. His minor pieces occupy the centre and the rooks are already on useful files. Black's king is insecure and of his three pieces that are in play, the queen and dark square bishop are subject to attack. These are the type of positions that the ancient masters like Paul Morphy and Andersson used to achieve in their games.

13...Qc6?

13...Qe7 is better as it covers g5 with the queen. White has a strong threat in Qh5 followed Ng5 as Shams Khan demonstrates.

14.Bd5

14.Qh5 could be played directly as well.

14...Qb6 15.Qh5 Kg7

15...Bg7 16.Ng5 h6 17.Nxf7 wins

15...Ne7 16.Bxf4 Bxf4 17.Rxf4 wins

16.g4

16.Bc3+ f6 17.Nxf6 Rxf6 18.Re8 was more direct.

16...c6

After 16...f6 White could play 17.Rf3 with the winning threat of Rh3. But probably what Shams Khan intended was 17.g5 Bxg5 18.Nxg5 fxg5 19.Bc3+ Rf6 20.Re8 with mate to follow.

17.Bc3+ f6 18.g5 cxd5 19.Qxh6+ Kh8 20.Nxf6 Rxf6 21.Re8+ 1-0