The story of Ben Flores
On March 25, I will be giving a free seminar on chess software. First part will be on the basics — for example, what is the difference between an engine, a database, a tree, a tablebase, etc. Part 2 will be on how the world’s leading players prepare for their games with these tools.
There was a time when players from Asia were handicapped because all the opening secrets were locked up in Russia and Europe. Nowadays, the problem is the exact opposite — too much information, how can you pick up what you want without going through hours upon hours of searching for the games you need? That is what we are going to discuss. This seminar is organized by the Professional Chess Trainers Association of the Philippines (PCTAP). This organization is headed by GM Eugene Torre (chairman) and NM Rudy Ibañez (president) with Mr. Eli Tumbaga, a FIDE-licensed National Instructor, as secretary-general.
The Meralco Chess Club, with funding support from One Meralco Foundation, has made available the Meralco Fitness Center in Pasig City for this seminar, which will be held on Saturday, March 25, from 2 p.m. to 5 p.m.
If you are interested in joining the fun please e-mail Mr. Eliseo Tumbaga (elitumbaga@gmail.com) with the subject line “Computer Seminar” and give the following information: full name, contact number, school/ club or other affiliation, and whether they are already using chess software and databases. PCTAP members and licensed chess trainers should also mention this fact in the e-mail so that their records can be updated by PCTAP Executive Director Hermilo Samaniego.
When Mr. Tumbaga announced the seminar in his well-followed Facebook page on Chess News & Views (take note of the ampersand — there is a moron who created another Facebook page called Chess News and Views and you don’t want anything to do with him) he said that yours truly computer-trained top Filipino players like GMs Eugene Torre, Joey Antonio, Bong Villamayor, Darwin Laylo and a few others. This brought back memories of my first student, the late National Master Ben Flores. He passed away several years ago but I still remember how we helped each other many years ago. And here is that story.
Back in 1996, I started out on a new venture and opened an Internet Service Provider (ISP) in Angeles City. This included a 20-station Internet café — the information age was just coming to the Philippines and not a lot of people had e-mail addresses yet.
Being in a new city with very few acquaintances I needed somebody to bring me around and be my jack-of-all-trades. One my friends suggested Ben Flores. Ben was in his early 30s then and already had quite a colorful life, having been a basketball player, boxer (!) and truck driver before deciding to be a professional chessplayer. He was quite talented on the chessboard and after several years was considered among the strongest nonmasters in the country.
During the times when I was in the office and he had nothing to do I encouraged Ben to try out the Internet café. I showed him the works: how to operate a computer, how to use word & excel, then Chessbase. After that came some private tutoring on the computerized encyclopedia of chess openings and then the wonders of the Internet Chess Club, the “chess club that never sleeps.” He would play online far into the night against anyone who would face him (including many grandmasters and masters) practicing the lines he learned in the encyclopedia. Every day he was soaking in this new technology, and then some more lessons on the endgame tablebases, on how to prepare vs other players and playing against computers to hone up your endgame.
After a year or so Ben told me (to my utter dismay!) that he wanted to go back into chess and try out his new skill. Of course, I had no choice but to let him go.
Well, he shocked everybody by qualifying for the Philippine national team to the 1998 Elista Olympiad after passing with honors a grueling elimination tournament followed by a no-holds-barred round robin finals. This, of course, carried with it an automatic National Master title. Imagine that — from nowhere to national team player.
In Elista he played this game. *** Gunnarsson, Jon Viktor (2445) — Flores, Ben [B99] 33rd Chess Olympiad Elista (6.4), 04.10.1998 1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 d6 3.d4 cxd4 4.Nxd4 Nf6 5.Nc3 a6 6.Bg5 e6
In the ’70s and early ’80s this was the absolute main line of chess — this position appeared on the chessboard more often than any other opening.
7.f4 Be7
This is simply called the Main Line. 7... Nbd7 is the Gelfand Variation while 7... Qc7 is the Kasparov. 8.Qf3 Qc7 9.0–0–0 Nbd7 10.g4
The alternative is 10.Bd3, there is a jungle of theory here, but let me just show one game: 10...h6 11.Qh3 Nc5 12.Rhe1 Bd7 13.e5 dxe5 14.fxe5 Nd5 15.Bxe7 Nxe7 16.Qg3 0–0 17.Ne4 Nxe4 18.Rxe4 White’s attack is very dangerous. Naiditsch,A (2682)- Gormally,D (2500) Douglas 2015 1–0 43. 10...b5 11.Bxf6
A lot of Filipino players like the Najdorf, and for them I recommend that they get the book Grandmaster Chess Move by Move by John Nunn, an autobiographical collection of Nunn’s best games during his semi-retirement years. Coverage of the Najdorf is awesome and for example here he remarks that 11.a3 Rb8 12.Bxf6 the correct reply is now 12...gxf6 for with the insertion of the moves a3 and ...Rb8 Black can immediately generate play with ...b5–b4. 11...Nxf6
The sharper recapture 11...gxf6!? was a Fischer favorite but has lost its appeal because of 12.f5 Ne5 13.Qh3 0–0 14.Rg1 Kh8 15.Rg3! White’s position is too strong — he has something like a 95% scoring average in international chess competition. In addition to the g- and h- files he also has the maneuver Nc3–e2–f4 pressurizing e6;
11...Bxf6!? is completely playable, no. 1 after 12.g5 Be7 we transpose back to the main line, and no. 2 white might be tempted to strike with 12.Bxb5 Rb8! (12... axb5? 13.Ndxb5 Qb6 14.Nxd6+ Kf8 15.e5 White has a decisive advantage) 13.Ba4 0–0 and Black, with the additional open bfile, has good compensation for the pawn. 12.g5 Nd7 13.f5
This is currently the de facto main line. The popular 13.a3 Rb8 14.h4 b4 15.axb4 Rxb4 16.f5 is now known to be good for Black as his attack is faster than White’s.
13.Nf5!? is a new idea which should be tried. After 13... exf5 14. Nd5 Qd8 15.exf5 White has just a pawn for the bishop but the Black king is in a very dangerous situation. 13...Bxg5+
IM James Rizzitano in “Play the Najdorf Sicilian” prefers 13...Nc5?! here, but it has a bad reputation. 14.f6 gxf6 15.gxf6 Bf8 16.Rg1! (This idea of the late Hungarian IM Bela Perenyi is recognized as White’s best option) 16...h5 (Black has to prevent Qh5) 17.Rg7!? b4 (17...Bxg7? 18.fxg7 Rg8 19.Ndxb5! axb5 20.Nxb5 wins) 18.Nd5! exd5 19.exd5 Nd7 (the knight has to go to e5 to block the e-file) 20.Nc6 Bb7 (20... Ne5? 21.Nxe5 dxe5 22.d6 Bb7 23.Qb3 Bxd6 24.Rxd6 Qxd6 25.Qxf7+ wins) 21.Bh3 there are still oodles and oodles of variations here but you get the idea — Black’s king is under horrible siege and though theoretically he should be able to escape this is not easy at all in over-the-board play. 14.Kb1 Ne5 15.Qh5 Qd8 <D> Some people say that putting the queen on d8 is best, others say e7 is the better square. I am biased against 15... Qe7 because of an Amador Rodriguez game: 16.Nxe6! Bxe6 17.fxe6 g6 18.exf7+ Kxf7 (Black should leave his knight on e5) 19.Qh3 Kg7 20.Nd5 Qa7 21.Qe6! Qc5 22.h4 Rae8 23.Qh3 Bh6 24.Be2! Ref8 25.Qe6! Rf2 26.Rhf1 Rhf8 27.b4!! Qc6 28.Rxf2! Rxf2 29.Rf1 Rxf1+ 30.Bxf1 Bd2 31.Qf6+ Kh6 32.Qf2 1–0 Rodriguez,Am- Sulipa Albacete open 1996. The black bishop is lost. If 32...Bc3 33.Qf8+ Kh5 34.Qf4 followed by Be2.
POSITION AFTER 15...QD8
16.Nxe6?! Sacrificing the knight on e6 was clearly top of mind for White and as soon as he saw the opportunity he played it. The strongest move for White here is 16.h4! White needs a battering ram to take down Black’s kingside. After the inevitable ...g6 to drive the queen away White will follow-up with h5 to pry open the kingside. Here is an example: 16...Bf6 17.fxe6 0–0 18.Bh3 g6 19.Qe2 Re8 20.exf7+ Kxf7 21.h5 g5 22.Nd5 Bxh3 23.Rxh3 g4 24.Rc3 Bg5 25.Nc6 Nxc6 26.Rxc6 Re5 27.Qxg4 Ra7 28.Rc8 Qd7 29.Qf3+ Ke6 30.Rf8 1–0 (30) Nunn,J (2584)-Heinemann,T (2465) Germany 2002.
16...Bxe6 17.fxe6 0–0 18.Bh3 g6 19.Qe2 Kh8 20.exf7 Rxf7 21.Be6 Rf6 22.Bb3 Rf8 23.Nd5 Rc8 24.Rdf1 Rxf1+ 25.Rxf1 Bh6 26.Qg2
Black has white-squared weaknesses but it is not so easy to get at them. Gunnarsson decides to get his queen to e6. Another possibility is to exchange knights
by the maneuver Nd5–b4–d3. This is a very difficult position to assess!
26... Qh4 27. Qe2 Nc4! 28. Bxc4 Rxc4 29.Re1 Bg7 30.c3 Be5 31.Qf1 Kg7 32.Qh1?
I don’t know what the idea is for this move. Better is 32.Qe2 which keeps an eye on the c4–rook, thus ruling out the possibility of ...b4. 32...Qxh2 33.Qf3 Qg3 34.Qe2 h5!
Finally, now Black has a clear track to a win. 35.a4 h4
[35...Rxa4? 36.Nb6 Ra5 the rook is shut out of action]
36.axb5 axb5 37.Rf1 h3 38.Nb6 Rc7 39.Qxb5 Qg2 40.Nd5
This just makes it easier, but White was dead lost already here what with the rapidly advancing h-pawn. 40...Qxe4+ 41.Ka2 Qc4+ The end. 42.Qxc4 Rxc4 43.b4 h2
[43...Bxc3?? 44.Kb3 wins the bishop]
44.b5 Rc5 45.c4 Rxc4 46.b6 Rc5 47.Nc7 Rc2+ 48.Ka3 Rb2 49.Nd5 Rb5 0–1
My reviewer in the CPA Board examinations, Mr. Bien Tan, used to have his driver sit-in on our review classes. I remarked to him one day that his driver seemed to be completely immersed in the lessons. He told that two of his drivers were already CPAs! And he had high hopes for this new one!
Ben Flores was my “driver.” He was my student, my companion, my friend and also taught me something — so long as we are willing to teach, there is always someone willing to learn.
And I, as a teacher, have always kept the words of William Arthur Ward in mind, that the mediocre teacher tells. The good teacher explains. The superior teacher demonstrates. The great teacher inspires.
Reader comments/suggestions are urgently solicited. E-mail address is bangcpa@gmail.com