How Kashdan Checkmated With Only Two Knights - Best Of The 1940s - Siff vs. Kashdan, 1948

From 1928 through much of the 1930s, Isaac Kashdan was the strongest chess player within the United States, straddling the dominant eras of Frank Marshall on the early end and Reuben Fine and Sammy Reshevsky on the opposite end. Despite his skill, many may not know of him as the peak of his career was placed within the Great Depression, and he was not able to compete professionally.

Kashdan represented the United States in multiple Olympiads and still has the best score of any US player in the Olympiads. Kashdan also served as a respected organizer later in life for the famed Piatagorsky Cup super-tournaments.

Kashdan's undoubted immortal is the following game against Boris Siff where Kashdan sacrifices nearly all of his pieces for a beautiful finish.

Top 10 Games of the 1940s

• #1: ????
  
• #2: ????
• #3: ????
  
• #4: ????
• #5: ????
• #6: ????
  
• #7: ????
  
• #8: ????
  
• #9: ????
  
• #10: Siff vs. Kashdan, 1948
  
• See also: Top 10 of the 1950s, Top 10 of the 1960s, Top 10 of the 1970s, Top 10 of the 1980s, Top 10 of the 1990s, Top 10 of the 2000s, and Top 10 of the 2010s

The game arrives by transposition in an Exchange Queen's Gambit Declined structure. Kashdan doesn't play perfectly, but he does play with a plan, building up on the kingside and playing to exchange his bad bishop.

Siff plays a bit timidly in critical moments, and once Kashdan's pieces can be improved no further, he launches a vigorous attack, sacrificing his bishop on h3, rooks on e3 and then e2, and finally his queen on h2 for an incredible finish.

My annotations are below. I hope you enjoy all of the beautiful moves in the game

If you like the content and want to support it, subscribe and follow on YouTube and Twitch!