The Chess Game Immortalized In Tapestry - Best Of The 30s - Parr vs. Wheatcroft, 1938

What would you do if you played the brilliancy of your lifetime? Well, if you are four-time British Correspondence Chess Champion, Frank Parr, you commission a tapestry with the most beautiful position and hang it in your house!

For Parr, his 1938 correspondence masterpiece against George Wheatcroft (also a British Correspondence Champion) was his magnum opus. This Gruenfeld gone-wrong for Wheatcroft presented him the opportunity for multiple striking attacking moves to country his opponent's resourceful defense.

Top 10 Games of the 1930s

• #1: ????
  
• #2: ????
• #3: ????
  
• #4: ????
• #5: ????
• #6: ????
  
• #7: ????
  
• #8: ????
  
• #9: ????
  
• #10: Parr vs. Wheatcroft, 1938
  
• See also: Top 10 of the 1940s, 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 opens with 10 moves of fairly modern theory in a fianchetto Gruenfeld. Wheatcroft than falters after the opening. I'm sure many of us can relate to not knowing what to do after our initial developments. Wheatcroft pushes out with ...e5 allowing a big passed d-pawn.

Parr builds around his d-pawn with rapid development and soon gives up the pawn, even offering an exchange sac that cannot be accepted. When Wheatcroft initiates resourceful complications with 20...Nxe3!, Parr is up to the task, using threats of smothered mate to overwhelm his opponent and eventually deliver a spectacular finishing blow in 29.Rh5!!

My annotations are below. I hope you enjoy the rich details

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