Sunday Chessbrunch #3: The Iron Cross
I want to tell you about Walter.
Walter is a very old family friend. He’s known my mother for… at least 40 years, probably closer to 50. They dated for a while and remained close friends after they broke up. He’s been effectively part of the family for decades. I’ve known him for my entire life, although he’s drifted away at various points for one reason or another.
He’s a painter and collage artist, and for much of his life he made a living as an electrician and handyman. For a long time he rented a retail storefront on Damen Avenue in Ravenswood; it served as an art gallery, primarily, and he had a small makeshift kitchen in the back and a curtained area to sleep if he needed to.
He’s also the one who introduced me to chess.
I played him a few times as a little kid and got my ass kicked every time. I really got into the game when I lived in New Mexico for a year (I was 13), and when I came back to Chicago I felt like I was ready to play him on more equal terms.
After school, I would head over to his storefront. We’d talk about his life and art, and how to scrape together a living if you can’t get a job. More than anyone else, he taught me that it’s possible to get by in life on very little if you have to, but that you need to have a strong network of friends and family who can help you out if things get really bad. He taught me that if you’re there for people before you need help, they’ll be there for you to the extent that they’re able.
He’d whip up some stir-fry on his hot plate in the back — usually round steak or whatever was on sale at Jewel, some onions and rice — and talk shit about how he was going to smoke me on the board. He’d talk up his pet opening that couldn’t be beat — he called it the “Iron Cross” but it was really just a variant of the Queen’s Pawn Game — and eventually we’d get to actually playing.
Walter played Hustler Chess. When I studied the game I would do so from books or from copies of Chess Life I’d pilfer at school. That’s fine for playing in Friday Night Quads at a chess club or in a tournament. If I wanted to beat Walter I should’ve spent more time at North Avenue Beach.
So Walter still beat me all the time. I improved to maaaaaybe a 30% win rate. But the chess was also sort of beside the point. My relationship with Walter wasn’t always easy, but for a few years in my early teens we had a Thing going. I’ll always treasure that.
We hadn’t played in years, partly due to me not being into it much and partly due to not crossing paths too often. He came over to visit my mother earlier this week and we finally got a few games in. (It was a good excuse to break in my new tournament set.)
We played three games. I won two. We drew the third.
I didn’t really have a feeling of triumph over the results — I’ve been studying, Walter hadn’t played in a while, and beating him wasn’t exactly a goal of mine. Whatever satisfaction I gained from the results was more about my having become a stronger player than beating Walter.
And besides, it was never entirely about the chess with him anyway.
James Gordon vs Walter Foran, Chicago 2018
- d4 d5 2. Bf4 h6 3. e3 g5 4. Bg3 e6 5. Nf3 Bb4+ 6. c3 Bd6 7. Nbd2 Bxg3
I just want to point this position out to illustrate how much I’ve changed as a player. In my younger days, I would’ve been demoralized after losing my dark square Bishop. I’ve lost a piece, and when I take back I now have doubled pawns. I’ve also screwed up my kingside pawn structure, meaning I either have to castle queenside or just accept the glaring weakness in my position. I’d start down a spiral that would end with me losing badly.
Now? I look at this and think, “excellent, thanks for helping me rip the H-file open. Now I can aim my Rook right at your neck.”
To the extent that I’m a better player now, I thanks that’s mostly down to me playing more fearlessly.
It continues…
8. hxg3 Nf6 9. Bd3 Nc6 10. Ne5 Nxe5 11. dxe5 Ne4 12. Nxe4 dxe4 13. Bxe4 Qxd1+ 14. Rxd1 O-O 15. f4 g4 16. Rxh6 Kg7
Black effectively lost the game here. He didn’t know it, but I did. It was weird to know that I won five moves before I delivered checkmate.
17. Rh7+ Kg8 18. Kf2 f6 19. exf6 Rxf6 20. Rdh1 Bd7? 21. Rh8+ Kf7 22. R1h7#
And that was that.
Solution to puzzle: 1. Rxb8+! This kicks off a forced mate sequence from which Black cannot escape. It continues: 1. …Kc7 2. Nb5+ cxb5 3. Qa5+ Kc6 4. Qb6#.
