Béla Sándor - Zoltan Herendi, Budapest, 1948

[John Upham]

I'm seeking the full game score for

Béla Sándor - Zoltan Herendi, Budapest, 1948

Can you help please?

[Roland Kensdale]

From a quick google it seems possible a player resigned in a won/drawn position.

Also appears the game was not from the master tournament in 1948, but from a subsidiary event (main event: https://www.365chess.com/tournaments/bu ... 1948/28949 ), or just played in Budapest in that year.

*Editted, I had forgotten that "Budapest" could equally mean just that it was played in that city, not in the major tournament of that year. Doesn't help to find the game!

[Geoff Chandler]

Yes, Black to play resigned here. (OOPS! though you can see it happening, it looks resignable.)


3r1r1k/qp2NQbp/p5p1/6N1/PPp5/8/6PP/2R4K w - - 0 1

My source only gives what you have, Bela Sandor - Zoltan Herendi, the position and Budapest 1948.

[Joey Stewart]

It looks like there is only one move that saves black,and it takes a while to spot. Any idea why a 70 year old game between obscure players was of such interest ?

[Matt Mackenzie]

I presume Qf2 is the move in question?

[John Upham]

It looks like there is only one move that saves black,and it takes a while to spot. Any idea why a 70 year old game between obscure players was of such interest ?

Yes, the game is discussed in a super little book BCN is reviewing.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi John,

I forgot to add it is position No.236 in 'Blunders and Brilliancies' by Ian Mullen and Moe Moss.
They say White sacced a rook to reach the position and nothing more.

They add the cute try 1...Qf2 2.Qxg6 hxg6 3.Nxg6+ is a perpetual but thwarted by by 2...Qf1+.

There must be something odd about the Philidor Legacy set up. Maybe we are so used to seeing it being sound.

Also in 'Blunders and Brilliancies' (No 213) G. Chandler - R. Austin, Edinburgh 1980.

k2rb2r/pp2n2p/2N1p3/1N1q2p1/2pP1Q1P/2P5/1P3PP1/R4RK1 b - - 0 24

My last move was 24. Na3-b5. With mates in one threats and a Philidor mate in there as well.
Black resigned. (OOPS! though I did not see the missed resource either.)

[John Upham]

I will email Ian Rogers and ask him if he has the full score.

[Matt Mackenzie]

Hi John,

I forgot to add it is position No.236 in 'Blunders and Brilliancies' by Ian Mullen and Moe Moss.
They say White sacced a rook to reach the position and nothing more.

They add the cute try 1...Qf2 2.Qxg6 hxg6 3.Nxg6+ is a perpetual but thwarted by by 2...Qf1+.

There must be something odd about the Philidor Legacy set up. Maybe we are so used to seeing it being sound.

Also in 'Blunders and Brilliancies' (No 213) G. Chandler - R. Austin, Edinburgh 1980.

k2rb2r/pp2n2p/2N1p3/1N1q2p1/2pP1Q1P/2P5/1P3PP1/R4RK1 b - - 0 24

My last move was 24. Na3-b5. With mates in one threats and a Philidor mate in there as well.
Black resigned. (OOPS! though I did not see the missed resource either.)

Heh, its rare for that sort of "sacrifice" to result in a net material gain.

[Geoff Chandler]

Hi Matt,

A 1980's computer on it's lowest level would have got it and you would think it's sulking and just delaying the mate.

Back to the matter in hand. 'Blunders and Brilliancies' which I helped with a very tiny bit with, a game here and there and maybe a pun or two.
They give an acknowledgement to Kurt Richter. (this sort of stuff was right up his street) I've looked at his 'Combinations a Fine Art.' No Joy.

I cannot recall the game at all, just Ian Mullen pouring over every book in the club
looking for examples and giving a wee whoop of joy when he found something.

I do not know if Ian or Moe had the game and mentioned the Rook sac or noticed White is a Rook down
(actually just an exchange) and assumed it was a sac. I'll go with the former and say they saw the game.

Tomorrow I'll check out the 1948-1951 BCM's and Chess's.

[Leonard Barden]

By far the most likely source would be Magyar Sakkelet for 1948.

[Roland Kensdale]

Magyar chess world appears to be available, I assume for a fee: https://adt.arcanum.com/hu/view/MagyarS ... 1911_1948/

[John Upham]

Ian Rogers told me today that he also is seeking the full score of this game.

[Geoff Chandler]

HI John,

Nothing in BCM they have an index. But CHESS did not so short of time skimmed through it through 48-51.
B.H.Wood played in Budapest 1948 and that is the kind of position any chess editor would use as a filler.

I reckon the position will be CHESS. after July 1948, played in a minor event next to the main event.
I doubt if the full game will be there, but live in hope. Have more time tomorrow, will go through CHESS again.

[John Upham]

Here is IRs reply to me in full:

I spent a fair bit of time trying to find the whole game two years ago when I began collecting examples. (I have now collected about 50 claimed examples where the full game or testimony from one of the players refuted the claimed silly resignation - Golombek - Keres is a famous British one.)
Your post on the ECF Forum encouraged me to have another go. I now have a Hungarian friend trying to track down a 1959 book
Így sakkoztok ti...: (tanulmány a sakkvakságról) by Emil Gelenczei, which I believe has the example and perhaps the whole game. I'll let you know if I find something