Hans Berliner, Master Chess Player and Programmer, Dies at87

[reflectionofpower]

A truly fascinating game that is interesting to go over with or without a computer. Analysis by Sugar Shah.

[pgn]
[Event "Correspondence World Cup"]
[Site "?"]
[Date "1965.??.??"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Estrin, Yakov"]
[Black "Berliner, Hans"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "C57"]
[Annotator "Sagar Shah"]
[PlyCount "84"]
[EventDate "1965.??.??"]

1. e4 e5 2. Nf3 Nc6 3. Bc4 Nf6 4. Ng5 {To play such a move in correspondence
chess is not a great idea. This line could work in a tournament game, due to
the constraint of available time. However, in correspondence chess it is a
completely different world.} d5 5. exd5 b5 $5 6. Bf1 $1 {This paradoxical move
is the best in the position. The idea is to keep g2 pawn defended so that Qxd5
can be met with Nc3, developing with a tempo.} (6. Bxb5 Qxd5 {is completely
fine for Black.}) 6... Nd4 7. c3 Nxd5 8. Ne4 (8. cxd4 Qxg5 9. Bxb5+ Kd8 10. O-O
Bb7 {The position remains unbalanced and complicated.}) 8... Qh4 9. Ng3 {
This move not only saves the knight but also blocks the h4-e1 diagonal. Now
Bg4 can be met with f3.} (9. d3 Bg4 {is not so easy to meet.}) 9... Bg4 10. f3
{The bishop on g4 is attacked and so is the knight on d4. What must Black play?
} e4 $3 {You put the third one under attack as well! How many pieces can White
take in one move!} 11. cxd4 (11. fxg4 Bd6 {already gives Black excellent play.}
) 11... Bd6 {It's not about how many pieces you have on the board. It's all
about how many pieces are actively taking part in the game.} 12. Bxb5+ (12. Qe2
$5 O-O (12... Bxg3+ 13. hxg3 Qxh1 14. Qxb5+ (14. Qxe4+ Be6 $17) 14... Bd7 15.
Qxd5 $18) 13. fxg4 Bxg3+ (13... Nb4 14. Qxb5 Nc2+ 15. Kd1 Nxa1 16. Nxe4 $18)
14. Kd1 $5 {The computer thinks that this position is winning for White. I
have my doubts. You can try to analyze this deeper. Remember, you can start a
chess engine in our Javascript player and try alternate lines.}) 12... Kd8 13.
O-O exf3 14. Rxf3 (14. gxf3 Bxg3 $19) 14... Rb8 $1 {The way Berliner gets all
his pieces into the game is quite inspiring. It doesn't matter if you are a
piece down, as long as the number of forces playing in the game is to your
favour.} 15. Be2 $2 (15. Bf1 Bxf3 16. Qxf3 Qxd4+ 17. Kh1 $16) 15... Bxf3 16.
Bxf3 Qxd4+ 17. Kh1 Bxg3 18. hxg3 {Black is better now because he brings in the
rook into the attack.} Rb6 $1 {A strong move threatening Rh6#} 19. d3 Ne3 20.
Bxe3 Qxe3 {Once again Rh6 is a big threat and there is only one way to stop it.
} 21. Bg4 h5 22. Bh3 g5 23. Nd2 (23. Bf5 h4 24. g4 h3 $19) 23... g4 24. Nc4
Qxg3 25. Nxb6 gxh3 26. Qf3 hxg2+ 27. Qxg2 Qxg2+ 28. Kxg2 {After all the
complications, material sanity has been restored. However, it is Black who now
has an extra pawn. How would you recapture the knight on b6?} cxb6 $1 {
Capturing away from the center, but now White has no way to create a passer on
the queenside.} (28... axb6 {looks logical, but in endgames it is better to
not allow the opponent to get an outside passed pawn, which White can do with
a4, b4 and a5.} 29. a4 Kd7 30. b4 Kc6 31. Rh1 $17) 29. Rf1 (29. Kh3 $5 $17)
29... Ke7 30. Re1+ Kd6 31. Rf1 Rc8 $1 {I like this decision very much. You
give up a pawn and get all your pieces co-ordinated.} 32. Rxf7 Rc7 33. Rf2 Ke5
{The h5 pawn ensures that all pawn endings are winning. Now Black uses his
king to inflict the damage.} 34. a4 Kd4 35. a5 Kxd3 36. Rf3+ Kc2 37. b4 b5 38.
a6 Rc4 39. Rf7 Rxb4 40. Rb7 Rg4+ 41. Kf3 b4 42. Rxa7 b3 {A great game by Hans
Berliner. The way he brought all his pieces into the attack is something to
learn from.} 0-1
[/pgn]

A very good writeup by Frederic Friedel on Chessbase.com

http://en.chessbase.com/post/hans-berli ... dies-at-87

I read it. They even have a pic in there of Berliner,Hyatt,Levy,Scherzer,Campbell & Valvo in it.

[bob]

I met Hans in 1970 at the first ACM computer chess tournament, which was held in NYC. He was a regular fixture until the late 80's when HiTech retired. From JBIIT to HiTech he came up with lots of innovations. I still have a copy of his Ph.D. Thesis, "Chess as problem Solving: the development of a tactics analyzer". Read it many times during my early years of computer chess.

Yet another great one gone.

RIP Hans.

[CRoberson]

A great loss. RIP Hans.
I remember being inspired when reading several of his papers in the early 90's.

[reflectionofpower]

I met Hans in 1970 at the first ACM computer chess tournament, which was held in NYC. He was a regular fixture until the late 80's when HiTech retired. From JBIIT to HiTech he came up with lots of innovations. I still have a copy of his Ph.D. Thesis, "Chess as problem Solving: the development of a tactics analyzer". Read it many times during my early years of computer chess.

Yet another great one gone.

RIP Hans.

Must have been something to be back in those days. The beginnings of something great in computer chess and to be connected to it in every branch of what it is now.

[CRoberson]

Well Bob, Chessbase published an article w/ a pic of you and Hans.

http://en.chessbase.com/post/hans-berli ... dies-at-87