Never Give Up!

Submitted by kenytiger on Sun, 12/07/2008 at 4:46pm.

Eighty-seven-year-old Dan Mayers played the following game during the 2008 World Open in Philadelphia. The 218-player Under 2000 section was, as it always is, a brutal competition.

"After a win in the first round, Dan dropped five in a row. A lesser man would have given up. Heck, I would have given up! Not ol' Dan! He hunkered down and you could see him with his signature magnifying glass intensely studying the board. He finished with a flourish, winning his last three! In round eight he produced this delightful "Parting with the Lady."

(Notes by Jerry Hanken)

» posted in Amazing Games

| 1768 reads | 22 comments |

2 votes:

Comments:

by ADK - 10 months ago
Santa Clarita, CA United States

Member Since: Aug 2007
Member Points: 16245

He barely hung on!

ADK

by Shawn61 - 10 months ago
Portland, OR United States

Member Since: Oct 2008
Member Points: 7

33. QxG2 is a better move than KG1. Granted being down two exchanges is bad ^_^ , hanging your queen is much worse!

Also while Dan found a good line with 31...Qg2+ the better move is 31...Nxf2+! 32. Rxf2 Qxe6.

Here you have two rooks, a bishop, a passed pawn and a queen vs a queen rook and knight.

There are some beautiful checkmates out of this too... I think there is a mating net in there for whatever white moves next.

by broze - 10 months ago
Bath England

Member Since: Nov 2007
Member Points: 729

David Knight, it's not a Queen's gambit, there's no d5.

by davidknight - 10 months ago
Texas United States

Member Since: Apr 2008
Member Points: 123

Queen's gambit ending in a succesful queen sacrifice by black. Mistakes are all there waiting to be made. Interesting response by black to the Queen's gambit at the opening.

by davidknight - 10 months ago
Texas United States

Member Since: Apr 2008
Member Points: 123

Nice game, interesting how tournament play can be different, definite lesson never give up except sometimes its just over before the desired checkmate.

by xMenace - 10 months ago
Rothesay, NB Canada

Member Since: Aug 2008
Member Points: 846

Sweet. WTG Dan!

by Maurissius - 10 months ago
Somewhere in Canada

Member Since: Nov 2007
Member Points: 2502

No one should give up unless you know that you will lose no matter what.

by chengiz - 10 months ago
Fall River, MA United States

Member Since: Oct 2008
Member Points: 28

beautiful end game, thanks for posting

by Webhead - 11 months ago
Mississippi United States

Member Since: Oct 2008
Member Points: 231

Wow! What a combination!

by chawil - 11 months ago
Lowestoft, Suffolk United Kingdom

Member Since: Dec 2007
Member Points: 445

Great game, thanks for posting it.

crhis wrote "but i feel like white played a few weak move". What do you expect in an under 2000 section, grandmaster performances?

by crhis - 11 months ago
baltimore United States

Member Since: Dec 2008
Member Points: 2

very good game, but i feel like white played a few weak moves which gave an easier win towards the end. From the beginning, the gambit is a risk to start with.