Throughout his career IM Ronald Burnett, from Tennessee
has been a creative and inventive player, especially with the black pieces, preferring to go his own way much of the time. His page at 365Chess.com (https://www.365chess.com/players/Ronald_Burnett) shows Ron has defended with the B06 Robatsch (modern) defense in 37 games. Second with 23 games is the B07 Pirc defence, with 23 games. In the final round of the 2022 US Open IM Burnett had black against Daniel Lin, from California, rated only 1939 prior to the event. After managing to snatch a draw from the hands of defeat, Mr. Lin was one of only two players rated under 2000 to finish with 6 1/2 points. Lang Leo Xiong, from Virginia and rated 1978 was the only other player in the top thirty one players with a rating beginning with a “1”. Because of IM Burnett’s penchant for creating openings over the board one would assume there would not be much theory involved with most of Ron’s openings, at least with the black pieces. Because of the recent explosion of Chess games in the databases these daze one would be wrong to “ass u me” anything.
Daniel Lin vs IM Ronald W Burnett
2022 US Open last round
B00 Owen defence
- d4 b6 2. e4 Bb7 3. Bd3 e6 4. Nf3 d6 5. O-O Ne7 6. Re1 Nd7 7. c3 g6 8. a4 a6 9. Nbd2 Bg7 10. Nc4 O-O 11. Bg5 h6 12. Bh4 e5 13. Bg3 Nc6 14. d5 Ne7 15. Nfd2 f5 16. f3 Nf6 17. Bf2 Bc8 18. Ne3 f4 19. Nef1 g5 20. h3 h5 21. Nh2 Rf7 22. b4 Bf8 23. c4 Ng6 24. c5 bxc5 25. bxc5 g4 26. hxg4 hxg4 27. fxg4 dxc5 28. Rc1 Rg7 29. Bxc5 Bxc5+ 30. Rxc5 Nh4 31. Be2 Rb8 32. Bf3 Nxg4 33. Nxg4 Qg5 34. d6 Nxf3+ 35. gxf3 Bxg4 36. fxg4 Qh4 37. dxc7 Rxg4+ 38. Qxg4+ Qxg4+ 39. Kf1 Rc8 40. Re2 Kf8 41. Nc4 Qh3+ 42. Ke1 Qh4+ 43. Kd2 Rxc7 44. Nxe5 Qd8+ 45. Rd5 Qe8 46. Rf2 Qxa4 47. Rxf4+ Ke8 48. Ke3 Qb4 49. Nd3 Qb6+ 50. Kf3 a5 51. e5 Qc6 52. Rd4 Rd7 53. Nf4 Rxd5 54. Nxd5 a4 55. Kf4 a3 56. Nb4 Qc3 57. Re4 a2 58. Nxa2 Qd2+ 59. Kf3 Qxa2 60. e6 Ke7 61. Re2 Qc4 62. Kf2 Qd3 63. Re3 Qf5+ 64. Ke2 Qg4+ 65. Kd2 Qg2+ 66. Re2 Qd5+ 67. Ke1 Qd4 68. Kf1 Qh4 69. Re3 Qh2 70. Re2 Qg3 71. Re1 Qf3+ 72. Kg1 Qf5 73. Re2 Qh3 74. Kf2 Qg4 75. Ke1 Qg1+ 76. Kd2 Qh1 77. Re3 Qd5+ 78. Ke2 Qd4 79. Kf3 Qc4 80. Re2 Qd3+ 81. Kf2 Qh3 82. Ke1 Qg3+ 83. Kd2 Qf3 84. Re3 Qf4 85. Ke2 Qh2+ 86. Kf3 Qh1+ 87. Ke2 Qg2+ 88. Kd3 Qb2 89. Re2 Qc1 90. Re4 Qd1+ 91. Ke3 Qc2 92. Kf3 Qc6 93. Ke3 Qc8 94. Kf3 Qc6 95. Ke3 Qb6+ 96. Kf3 Qb7 97. Ke3 Qb1 98. Kf3 Qf1+ 99. Ke3 Qg2 100. Kd3 Qg6 101. Ke3 Qg3+ 102. Kd4 Qf3 103. Re3 Qd1+ 104. Kc3 Qd5 105. Re2 Qd6 106. Kc2 Qd4 107. Kc1 Qd3 108. Re1 Qc3+ 109. Kd1 Qd4+ 110. Kc2 Qc4+
https://lichess.org/broadcast/us-open-championship-and-invitationals-2022/round-15/OlzI1ODw
Wolfgang Deinert (1906) vs Dieter Brandhorst (2092)
Event: Dortmund Sparkassen op-A
Site: Dortmund Date: 08/05/2006
Round: 8
ECO: B00 Owen defence
1.e4 b6 2.d4 Bb7 3.Bd3 e6 4.Nf3 d6 5.O-O Nd7 6.Re1 Ne7 7.c3 g6 8.Bg5 Bg7 9.Qe2 a6 10.Nbd2 h6 11.Bh4 g5 12.Bg3 Ng6 13.Nc4 Qe7 14.e5 d5 15.Ne3 h5 16.h3 Rh6 17.Bxg6 Rxg6 18.b4 O-O-O 19.a4 Rf8 20.Nd2 Rh8 21.Nb3 Rgh6 22.a5 b5 23.Nc5 Nf8 24.Qxb5 axb5 25.a6 Ba8 26.a7 Nd7 27.Ra5 Nxc5 28.bxc5 c6 29.Rb1 Qc7 30.Rba1 h4 31.Bh2 Kd7 32.Ng4 Rg6 33.Ra6 Rc8 34.Ne3 g4 35.hxg4 Bh6 36.Nf5 h3 37.gxh3 Bf8 38.Nd6 Bxd6 39.exd6 Qd8 40.Rb6 Rg8 41.Re1 Qh4 42.Re3 f5 43.Bg3 Qxh3 44.gxf5 Qxf5 45.Kf1 Rcf8 0-1
https://www.365chess.com/game.php?back=1&gid=3391438&m=14
Your writer was fortunate enough to have faced IM Burnett one time. I say fortunate because it was always my intention to play well enough to face titled players. After losing the long, hard fought game Ron said, “I never knew you were so strong.” Ron did not have to say what he said, and it was appreciated, but still, the game was lost. It is difficult playing your friends, who become your “friendenemy” during battle. Most of the time the “enemy” part is dropped after the game, but not always. For example, defeating John “Smitty” Smith, a man with whom I had traveled and shared a room on the road, ended our friendship. After the game Smitty informed me that if he had won he had figured out he would have become a National Master, and planned on withdrawing to ensure he would earn the NM certificate from the USCF. Smitty never became a NM, and soon gave up Chess. (https://xpertchesslessons.wordpress.com/2020/04/12/john-smitty-smith-jr-vs-im-boris-kogan/)
NM Gabriel Eidelman vs GM Eduardas Rozentalis
2022 US Open Last Round
E32 Nimzo-Indian, classical variation
- d4 e6 2. c4 Nf6 3. Nc3 Bb4 4. Qc2 b6 5. e4 Bxc3+ 6. bxc3 d6 7. e5 dxe5 8. dxe5 Nfd7 9. Qe4 c6 10. Qg4 Kf8 11. Nf3 Qc7 12. Bf4 c5 13. Bd3 Bb7 14. O-O Bxf3 15. Qxf3 Nc6 16. Rfe1 h6 17. Bg3 Ke7 18. Rad1 Rad8 19. Qe4 Rhe8 20. Bc2 Kf8 21. Qh7 Ne7 22. Qh8+ Ng8 23. Bh7 1-0
https://lichess.org/broadcast/us-open-championship-and-invitationals-2022/round-15/OlzI1ODw
The Stockfish program at Lichess.com shows the move 10 Qg4 as best, but it had yet to be played until played by National Master Eidelman. Four previous games have been played with the move 10 Ba3 having been played (https://www.365chess.com/opening.php?m=19&n=2198256&ms=d4.e6.c4.Nf6.Nc3.Bb4.Qc2.b6.e4.Bxc3.bxc3.d6.e5.dxe5.dxe5.Nfd7.Qe4.c6&ns=7.18.84.33.38.39.143.3177.5726.39089.31745.39090.451186.534142.451187.534143.1968984.2198256) and one with 10 Nf3:
Lucas Van Foreest (2535) vs Predrag Nikolic (2558)
Event: Dutch League 2021-22
Site: Netherlands NED Date: 11/27/2021
Round: 4.3
ECO: E32 Nimzo-Indian, classical variation
1.d4 Nf6 2.c4 e6 3.Nc3 Bb4 4.Qc2 b6 5.e4 Bxc3+ 6.bxc3 d6 7.e5 dxe5 8.dxe5 Nfd7 9.Qe4 c6 10.Nf3 Qe7 11.Be2 Bb7 12.Qg4 f6 13.O-O O-O 14.Qh4 c5 15.Bf4 Nc6 16.Rad1 Rad8 17.Bd3 h6 18.exf6 Nxf6 19.Bg6 Rxd1 20.Rxd1 Rd8 21.Re1 Rd7 22.h3 Nh7 23.Qg3 Nf8 24.Be4 Na5 25.Ne5 Rd8 26.Bxh6 Bxe4 27.Bg5 1-0
https://www.365chess.com/game.php?back=1&gid=4320411&m=20
It is difficult to believe there have been numerous games played with this opening concidering the fact that according to the ‘rule’ that the side down by -1.5 is considered to have a ‘lost’ game. After playing 6…d6 Stockfish considers black down by -1.7. After the Grandmaster slid his King over one square to f8 with his tenth move the program shows Rozentalis down by -2.2. As my friend IM of GM strength Boris Kogan was so fond of saying about some of my moves, “This is no way to play CHESS!” It is not often we lesser rated players see any Grandmaster busted up so badly they have a losing position before getting out of the opening. GM Rozentalis may have looked fine outwardly after losing such a game, but inwardly he looked like the man some called the “real Rocky Balboa,” Chuck Wepner, aka The Bayonne Bleeder:
bbc.co.uk
For those of you wondering “Why on earth the AW would post these films with a post concerning Chess”, the answer is that I know, as do all Chess players who take the game seriously, that, metaphorically speaking, this is how we feel after losing a game…and sometimes even after WINNING!
Armchair Warrior 