At 10:32 AM 4/29/2005 -0600, Brian Wall wrote:

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 19:15:00 GMT, (Sam Sloan)
wrote:

Benko clearly invented the Benko Gambit. Nobody played the Benko
Gambit before Benko did, yet the Soviets refused to call it that,
perhaps because Benko was a defector, so they called it the Volga
Gambit.

Sam Sloan

The epilogue on page 6 of the aforementioned chess pamphlet states:
"Milan wishes everyone to know that it was he, and not Pal Benko , who was
first to use what is now called the Benko Gambit. He met and played Benko in
Atlanta and it was during the next round that Momic used it against a high rated
player. He (Momic) calls it the Volga Gambit. ' Benko saw me make the first
move and said it was not a good opening; after that he started using it, and
everyone called it Benko Gambit! If you are going to call it Benko Gambit, why
not Momic Gambit , because he saw me use it first!"

The problem with this and many similar claims is that first we do not
have the game score or even the name of the opponent.

You can check all the databases. There is no game with the opening
moves 1. d5 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 in any database anywhere, prior to
when Benko started playing it.

Actually, I watched the first game with the Benko Gambit as it was
played. The game was Laver-Benko, American Open, Santa Monica 1967.
That is the first game in Benko's book, but he gives the wrong year,
1968. I know it was 1967 because I was there. That was the same
tournament where I beat Walter Browne.

However, in the game Weaver-Valvo, last round of the 1963 US
Intercollegiate Championship, Notre Dame Indiana, 1963, Valvo played
something very similar to the Benko Gambit. Valvo played the b5
sacrifice on move 5 or 6 and won in convincing style. However, it is
not a Benko Gambit unless b5 is played on move 3.

There is also an old game Capablanca-Nimzovitch where the b5 sacrifice
was played but again that was about on move 5 and was not on move 3.

The idea of sacrificing a pawn with b5 was known by the 1920s, but
only Benko played it on move 3.

As to whether anybody analyzed the move prior to Benko I do not know.
To make a claim like that, one would have to provide the name, date
and year of the publication. I believe there is no such publication.
If somebody analyzed it privately without publishing it and without
playing it over the board and no record was kept that would not form
the basis for any claim to name the opening.

Sam Sloan

starting with 1. d5, is just plain stupid and you are insulting all the fans
of chess. Dunt you have to write about some conspericy or something? Go do
what your good at and get off the chess dude









"Sam Sloan" wrote in message
...
At 10:32 AM 4/29/2005 -0600, Brian Wall wrote:

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 19:15:00 GMT, (Sam Sloan)
wrote:

Benko clearly invented the Benko Gambit. Nobody played the Benko
Gambit before Benko did, yet the Soviets refused to call it that,
perhaps because Benko was a defector, so they called it the Volga
Gambit.

Sam Sloan

The epilogue on page 6 of the aforementioned chess pamphlet states:
"Milan wishes everyone to know that it was he, and not Pal Benko , who was
first to use what is now called the Benko Gambit. He met and played Benko
in
Atlanta and it was during the next round that Momic used it against a high
rated
player. He (Momic) calls it the Volga Gambit. ' Benko saw me make the
first
move and said it was not a good opening; after that he started using it,
and
everyone called it Benko Gambit! If you are going to call it Benko Gambit,
why
not Momic Gambit , because he saw me use it first!"

The problem with this and many similar claims is that first we do not
have the game score or even the name of the opponent.

You can check all the databases. There is no game with the opening
moves 1. d5 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 in any database anywhere, prior to
when Benko started playing it.

Actually, I watched the first game with the Benko Gambit as it was
played. The game was Laver-Benko, American Open, Santa Monica 1967.
That is the first game in Benko's book, but he gives the wrong year,
1968. I know it was 1967 because I was there. That was the same
tournament where I beat Walter Browne.

However, in the game Weaver-Valvo, last round of the 1963 US
Intercollegiate Championship, Notre Dame Indiana, 1963, Valvo played
something very similar to the Benko Gambit. Valvo played the b5
sacrifice on move 5 or 6 and won in convincing style. However, it is
not a Benko Gambit unless b5 is played on move 3.

There is also an old game Capablanca-Nimzovitch where the b5 sacrifice
was played but again that was about on move 5 and was not on move 3.

The idea of sacrificing a pawn with b5 was known by the 1920s, but
only Benko played it on move 3.

As to whether anybody analyzed the move prior to Benko I do not know.
To make a claim like that, one would have to provide the name, date
and year of the publication. I believe there is no such publication.
If somebody analyzed it privately without publishing it and without
playing it over the board and no record was kept that would not form
the basis for any claim to name the opening.

Sam Sloan

At 04:01 AM 4/30/2005 -0000, Ervin Matthew/ Maliq Adonai Soter wrote:
Peace...

Sam, how is this not CLEARLY a Benko Gambit? It is the equivalent
of playing 1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 4. Nf3 Bb7 5. a4 bxa4, which,
although not the most common line of the opening, does amount to a
Benko Gambit. Pray tell, how was the pawn never offered when c4 was
not addressed by protection of the b-pawn? Here, you are quite
overzealous in your assertions. This is, indeed, a living,
breathing Benko Gambit from before Benko was born.

Hotep,

Maliq

I disagree completely and I am surprised at your remark.

The game Rubinstein-Spielmann went 1. d4 Nf6 2. Nf3 c5 3. d5 b5 4. c4
Bb7 5. a4 bxc4 6. Nc3 e6 7. e4 Nxe4

Spielmann never offered to sacrifice a pawn. If Rubinstein had
captured the pawn with 5. cxb5, Spielmann would have captured the
center pawn with Nxd5 which would clearly be bad for White.

Calling the game Rubinstein-Spielmann a Benko Gambit would be like
calling a game that starts with the moves 1. e4 e5 2. d3 d6 3. f4 a
King's Gambit.

Sam Sloan

At 10:32 AM 4/29/2005 -0600, Brian Wall wrote:

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 19:15:00 GMT, (Sam Sloan)
wrote:

Benko clearly invented the Benko Gambit. Nobody played the Benko
Gambit before Benko did, yet the Soviets refused to call it that,
perhaps because Benko was a defector, so they called it the Volga
Gambit.

Sam Sloan

The epilogue on page 6 of the aforementioned chess pamphlet states:
"Milan wishes everyone to know that it was he, and not Pal Benko , who was
first to use what is now called the Benko Gambit. He met and played Benko in
Atlanta and it was during the next round that Momic used it against a high rated
player. He (Momic) calls it the Volga Gambit. ' Benko saw me make the first
move and said it was not a good opening; after that he started using it, and
everyone called it Benko Gambit! If you are going to call it Benko Gambit, why
not Momic Gambit , because he saw me use it first!"

Another point about this I just remembered.

This reference to a chess tournament in Atlanta undoubtedly refers to
the 1967 US Open in Atlanta which was won by Benko.

It so happens that in 1995 Eric Schiller hired me to type the entire
tournament bulletins for the 1967 US Open in Atlanta into PGN Format.
This brings up another subject. I am deeply thankful to Eric Schiller
for hiring me and giving me work when I was absolutely flat broke. If
I ever do get elected to the USCF Executive Board, one of my first
motions will be to reinstate Eric Schiller who is now on persona non
grata status.

The 1967 US Open in Atlanta was played in August. The American Open
where the first published game of the Benko Gambit took place, which
was Laver-Benko, American Open 1967, took place in November, two
months later.

Milan Momic was a high 2300 player. In fact, it was once reported in
Chess Life that he had never lost a rated game. If he had played the
Benko Gambit in the 1967 US Open, the game would have been in the
tournament bulletins and I certainly would have noticed it when I
retyped those bulletins.

By the way, Bill Goichberg played in the 1967 US Open in Atlanta and
finished with one of the top scores. Pehaps he remembers this.

Sam Sloan

You beat Walter Browne? Awsome !! What were your ratings back then? Do you
have a copy of the game?

John
"Sam Sloan" wrote in message
...
At 10:32 AM 4/29/2005 -0600, Brian Wall wrote:

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 19:15:00 GMT, (Sam Sloan)
wrote:

Benko clearly invented the Benko Gambit. Nobody played the Benko
Gambit before Benko did, yet the Soviets refused to call it that,
perhaps because Benko was a defector, so they called it the Volga
Gambit.

Sam Sloan

The epilogue on page 6 of the aforementioned chess pamphlet states:
"Milan wishes everyone to know that it was he, and not Pal Benko , who was
first to use what is now called the Benko Gambit. He met and played Benko
in
Atlanta and it was during the next round that Momic used it against a high
rated
player. He (Momic) calls it the Volga Gambit. ' Benko saw me make the
first
move and said it was not a good opening; after that he started using it,
and
everyone called it Benko Gambit! If you are going to call it Benko Gambit,
why
not Momic Gambit , because he saw me use it first!"

The problem with this and many similar claims is that first we do not
have the game score or even the name of the opponent.

You can check all the databases. There is no game with the opening
moves 1. d5 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 in any database anywhere, prior to
when Benko started playing it.

Actually, I watched the first game with the Benko Gambit as it was
played. The game was Laver-Benko, American Open, Santa Monica 1967.
That is the first game in Benko's book, but he gives the wrong year,
1968. I know it was 1967 because I was there. That was the same
tournament where I beat Walter Browne.

However, in the game Weaver-Valvo, last round of the 1963 US
Intercollegiate Championship, Notre Dame Indiana, 1963, Valvo played
something very similar to the Benko Gambit. Valvo played the b5
sacrifice on move 5 or 6 and won in convincing style. However, it is
not a Benko Gambit unless b5 is played on move 3.

There is also an old game Capablanca-Nimzovitch where the b5 sacrifice
was played but again that was about on move 5 and was not on move 3.

The idea of sacrificing a pawn with b5 was known by the 1920s, but
only Benko played it on move 3.

As to whether anybody analyzed the move prior to Benko I do not know.
To make a claim like that, one would have to provide the name, date
and year of the publication. I believe there is no such publication.
If somebody analyzed it privately without publishing it and without
playing it over the board and no record was kept that would not form
the basis for any claim to name the opening.

Sam Sloan

On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 05:23:09 GMT, "John J."
wrote:

You beat Walter Browne? Awsome !! What were your ratings back then? Do you
have a copy of the game?

John

Su

[Event "American Open"]
[Site "Santa Monica (USA)"]
[Date "1967.11.26"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Sloan,Sam"]
[Black "Browne,Walter S (USA)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B31"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.O-O Bg7 5.c3 Nf6 6.Re1 O-O 7.d4
cxd4 8.cxd4 d5 9.e5 Ne4 10.Nc3 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Qa5 12.Bf1 Bg4
13.Qd3 Bxf3 14.gxf3 e6 15.Bh3 Rfc8 16.Be3 Qa3 17.Bf1 Na5
18.Qb5 a6 19.Qb4 Rxc3 20.Qxa3 Rxa3 21.Rec1 b5 22.Rc5 Bf8
23.Rc7 Nc4 24.Bxc4 dxc4 25.h4 Rc3 26.h5 b4 27.hxg6 hxg6
28.Kg2 a5 29.d5 Bg7 30.dxe6 fxe6 31.Rh1 Rc2 32.Rb7 Rxa2
33.Bg5 Rf8 34.Bf6 Rxf6 35.exf6 Bxf6 36.Rb8+ Kg7 37.Rb7+ Be7
38.Rxe7+ Kf6 39.Rhh7 Ke5 40.f4+ Kd6 41.Rc7 Kd5 42.Rhd7+ Ke4
43.Rxc4+ Kf5 44.Rf7+ Kg4 45.f5+ Kg5 46.fxe6 Re2 47.e7 b3
48.e8=Q Rxe8 49.Rb7 1-0


He was rated 2475. I was rated about 2100. I had a bad position for
most of the game but I found a way to force a draw. He did not want a
draw and sacrificed an exchange to try to force a win. He failed to
see 41. Rc7 threatening mate and so the game was over.

Sam Sloan

On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 06:01:51 GMT, (Sam Sloan)
wrote:

[Event "American Open"]
[Site "Santa Monica (USA)"]
[Date "1967.11.26"]
[Round "3"]
[White "Sloan,Sam"]
[Black "Browne,Walter S (USA)"]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "B31"]

1.e4 c5 2.Nf3 Nc6 3.Bb5 g6 4.O-O Bg7 5.c3 Nf6 6.Re1 O-O 7.d4
cxd4 8.cxd4 d5 9.e5 Ne4 10.Nc3 Nxc3 11.bxc3 Qa5 12.Bf1 Bg4
13.Qd3 Bxf3 14.gxf3 e6 15.Bh3 Rfc8 16.Be3 Qa3 17.Bf1 Na5
18.Qb5 a6 19.Qb4 Rxc3 20.Qxa3 Rxa3 21.Rec1 b5 22.Rc5 Bf8
23.Rc7 Nc4 24.Bxc4 dxc4 25.h4 Rc3 26.h5 b4 27.hxg6 hxg6
28.Kg2 a5 29.d5 Bg7 30.dxe6 fxe6 31.Rh1 Rc2 32.Rb7 Rxa2
33.Bg5 Rf8 34.Bf6 Rxf6 35.exf6 Bxf6 36.Rb8+ Kg7 37.Rb7+ Be7
38.Rxe7+ Kf6 39.Rhh7 Ke5 40.f4+ Kd6 41.Rc7 Kd5 42.Rhd7+ Ke4
43.Rxc4+ Kf5 44.Rf7+ Kg4 45.f5+ Kg5 46.fxe6 Re2 47.e7 b3
48.e8=Q Rxe8 49.Rb7 1-0


He was rated 2475. I was rated about 2100. I had a bad position for
most of the game but I found a way to force a draw. He did not want a
draw and sacrificed an exchange to try to force a win. He failed to
see 41. Rc7 threatening mate and so the game was over.

Sam Sloan

41 ... Kd5? seems like his major blunder. What would you have done
after 41 ... P-N6 -- I'm not seeing the mate and those Black pawns are
rolling.

Sam Sloan, i Challenge you to a match, 1st person to get 7 points wins.

On Sat, 30 Apr 2005 02:53:48 GMT, (Sam Sloan)
wrote:

At 10:32 AM 4/29/2005 -0600, Brian Wall wrote:

On Thu, 28 Apr 2005 19:15:00 GMT, (Sam Sloan)
wrote:

Benko clearly invented the Benko Gambit. Nobody played the Benko
Gambit before Benko did, yet the Soviets refused to call it that,
perhaps because Benko was a defector, so they called it the Volga
Gambit.

Sam Sloan

The epilogue on page 6 of the aforementioned chess pamphlet states:
"Milan wishes everyone to know that it was he, and not Pal Benko , who was
first to use what is now called the Benko Gambit. He met and played Benko in
Atlanta and it was during the next round that Momic used it against a high rated
player. He (Momic) calls it the Volga Gambit. ' Benko saw me make the first
move and said it was not a good opening; after that he started using it, and
everyone called it Benko Gambit! If you are going to call it Benko Gambit, why
not Momic Gambit , because he saw me use it first!"

The problem with this and many similar claims is that first we do not
have the game score or even the name of the opponent.

You can check all the databases. There is no game with the opening
moves 1. d5 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 in any database anywhere, prior to
when Benko started playing it.

Sloan, you are a fool; and, as usual, you are wrong.

Keres and quite a few other Russians played this opening in the
1950's. You can find all kinds of analyses in the Russian journals
around that time.

Fischer (that's right: Your personal friend Robert J. Fischer) played
the Wolga Gambit in 1966: Fischer-Johannesen, Havana Olympics.

Even in my limited library I can find all sorts of citations earlier
than 1967. For example in the 1979 edition of the Encyclopedia. Check
it yourself.

If that doesn't please you try Euwe's Opening book, second edition
1965. It has a section on the Wolga Gambit with lots of citations.


Actually, I watched the first game with the Benko Gambit as it was
played. The game was Laver-Benko, American Open, Santa Monica 1967.
That is the first game in Benko's book, but he gives the wrong year,
1968. I know it was 1967 because I was there. That was the same
tournament where I beat Walter Browne.

No need to be so modest. I was also at the Santa Monica tournament and
Benkö told me himself that he learned the Benkö Gambit from you.


However, in the game Weaver-Valvo, last round of the 1963 US
Intercollegiate Championship, Notre Dame Indiana, 1963, Valvo played
something very similar to the Benko Gambit. Valvo played the b5
sacrifice on move 5 or 6 and won in convincing style. However, it is
not a Benko Gambit unless b5 is played on move 3.

There is also an old game Capablanca-Nimzovitch where the b5 sacrifice
was played but again that was about on move 5 and was not on move 3.

The idea of sacrificing a pawn with b5 was known by the 1920s, but
only Benko played it on move 3.

As to whether anybody analyzed the move prior to Benko I do not know.
To make a claim like that, one would have to provide the name, date
and year of the publication.

Euwe, Max - Theorie der Schacheröffnungen, Teil VI-VII, page 74.
Siegfried-Engelhardt-Verlag, Berlin, March 1965, 2nd edition.

Sloan, you are a fool.

I believe there is no such publication.
If somebody analyzed it privately without publishing it and without
playing it over the board and no record was kept that would not form
the basis for any claim to name the opening.

Sam Sloan

"Sam Sloan" wrote in message
...
At 10:32 AM 4/29/2005 -0600, Brian Wall wrote:


You can check all the databases. There is no game with the opening
moves 1. d5 Nf6 2. c4 c5 3. d5 b5 in any database anywhere, prior to
when Benko started playing it.



Can someone please please explain to me how White can open with d5? Is this
more evidence of early steroid abuse?