The Burden Award
The Burden Award
By Paul Anderson
Colorado Springs Chess Club President
The 3-peat was the hot topic with this year’s Super Bowl, but it didn’t happen. No NFL team has been able to win three in a row in its 59 year history, with only nine teams having a shot after back-to-back wins (including the Denver Broncos after victories in Super Bowl 32 & 33). However, the Colorado Springs Chess Club can claim a 3-peat!
It all started back in 1989 when National Master Jim Burden became the 21st Colorado Springs City Chess Champion. He continued his winning ways in 1990 and 1991 to win three titles in a row. While others have passed his number of titles, he is the only person to accomplish the 3-peat in the 58 years of that event, leaving him in 5th place for total titles even after 33 years.
The other players have benefited from the addition of the City Speed Chess Championship, which added a second title to win each year. Who knows, if the Speed Champ had been around in his time, Jim might have earned the 3-peat in that event as well. However, that title didn’t start until 1996, after Jim had left Colorado for greener pastures, and no one has recorded a 3-peat in the 29 years of that event.
While riding the high of being a three-time champ, he took his winning ways to Las Vegas for the 2nd Annual North American Open in 1992, where he faced 3-time US Champion, GM Larry Christiansen. He found himself in this position against the Grandmaster (White to move).
Here is where the story takes a sour turn. Jim found the move to trap the Queen but was unable to hold onto the win. And the Burden Award was born. Well, it stayed hidden until 2005, when chessgames.com made it their Game Of The Day, and when LM Brian Wall saw it, he turned it into an annual, April Fools Day, email award.
http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1089372
[Event "North American Open"]
[Site "Las Vegas, NV USA"]
[Date "1992.01.??"]
[EventDate "?"]
[Round "4"]
[Result "0-1"]
[White "James L Burden"]
[Black "Larry Mark Christiansen"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo "?"]
[BlackElo "?"]
[PlyCount "136"]
1.e4 g6 2.d4 Bg7 3.Nc3 d6 4.Be3 c6 5.Bc4 Nf6 6.f3 O-O 7.Qd2 d5
8.Bb3 dxe4 9.Nxe4 Nxe4 10.fxe4 e5 11.d5 Qh4+ 12.Qf2 Qxe4
13.O-O-O a5 14.a3 a4 15.Ba2 Bg4 16.Ne2 Nd7 17.Ng3 Qxe3+
18.Qxe3 Bxd1 19.Rxd1 c5 20.Ne4 b6 21.Rf1 f6 22.Qh3 f5 23.Ng5
Nf6 24.d6 Kh8 25.Nf7+ Rxf7 26.Bxf7 Ng4 27.Kb1 Nh6 28.Bc4 Ng4
29.Qd3 Rd8 30.d7 e4 31.Qd6 Be5 32.Qe7 Bf6 33.Qe8+ Kg7 34.Qf7+
Kh6 35.h3 Ne3 36.Qxf6 Rxd7 37.Qe6 Rd4 38.Re1 Nxg2 39.Rg1 Nf4
40.Qg8 e3 41.Qf8+ Kh5 42.h4 Rxc4 43.Qf6 Kh6 44.Qg5+ Kg7
45.Qe7+ Kh6 46.Qxe3 Re4 47.Qf2 Nh3 48.Qd2+ Kh5 49.Re1 Rxe1+
50.Qxe1 f4 51.Qe7 h6 52.Qf6 g5 53.hxg5 hxg5 54.Qxb6 f3 55.Qxc5
Kg4 56.Qe3 Kg3 57.c4 Kg2 58.c5 f2 59.Qe4+ Kh2 60.Qf3 g4 61.Qe2
g3 62.c6 g2 63.Qe5+ Kh1 64.c7 g1=Q+ 65.Kc2 f1=Q 66.Kc3 Qc1+
67.Kb4 Qb6+ 68.Kxa4 Qcc6+ 0-1
The Burden Award is for a chess player who drops their Queen but comes back to win. It is one of my favorite email themes that LM Brian Wall does, and I have made it my mission to keep the award alive.
You can sign up for his emails and to get into the archives here:
http://www.taom.com/mailman/listinfo/brianwall-chesslist
While the award doesn’t always go out on April Fools Day, it is nice when we can get close. It just seems appropriate to honor someone for dropping their Queen on this day. Brian prefers slower time controls and a good story for his pick. However, there have been exceptions to the rule. In fact, the pickin’s were so slim in 2023 that we have yet to find a winner. So, if you lost your Queen in 23 and came back to win, send the game my way, and you too could be added to the list.
I have collected most of the winners in a game library on Chess.com and updated the list in one of my blogs I wrote back in 2010, when I first won the award.
Game Of The Week (6/12/2010)
This week's game comes from my latest chess achievement: 2010 Jim Burden Award winner! It is quite an honor for me to be mentioned with such chess greats:
The Burden Award Winners:
https://www.chess.com/c/2R5RvQB66
2022 Paul Anderson - game
2021 Lorna Idol - game
2020 LM Brian Wall - game
2019 Chris Motley - game
2018 Larry Osborn - game
2017 LM Brian Wall - game
2016 Paul Anderson - game & game
2015 Daniel Herman
2014 Tim Brennan - game
2013 Scott Massey - game
2012 Tom Mullikin - game
2011 Devon Wall - game
2010 Paul Anderson - game
2009 Francisco Baltier
2008 Tim Fisher - game
2007 Chris Peterson - game
2006 Tobias Lingaard - game
2005 Josh Smith - game
As I add this new feather in my chess cap, I would like to thank LM Brian Wall for creating this award and giving it to me. He wrote in his Yahoo group:
I am awarding the 2010...Jim Burden give-up-a-Queen-for-nothing-and-still-win award this year to Paul Anderson for sheer desire, persistence and multiple entries. I believe people should get what they want before they die even if it lets them down. If this was a movie, Paul would gently die in his sleep like a big bear now. Getting what you need is the kiss of death in a movie script.
I certainly hope there is not a curse attached with this award, as I haven't heard about the recent whereabouts of the previous winners. In fact, my hope is that this award will be a great blessing to my chess career and that this day will go down in the annals of chess as a day of feasting and gift giving like Purim in the time of Queen Esther.
You see, the game reminded me a lot of the story of Esther whose rise to prominence was precipitated by the actions of the foolish Queen Vashti. King Xerxes, the ruler of Persia and Media, had been telling the Queen, "Do not go out too early. You must remain with the King."
However, she did not obey. The King burned with anger like Ralph Kramden towards his rebellious wife. However, being King has its benefits. He punished the Queen for her departure by removing her from the game and sending out an edict to all the land:
He sent dispatches to all parts of the kingdom, to each province in its own script and to each people in its own language, proclaiming in each people's tongue that every man should be ruler over his own household.Esther 1:22 NIV
Not much has changed today; guys still want to keep the Queen at home and will banish anyone who violates this rule.
Of course, thanks to LM Brian Wall's award, I have learned an important lesson in chess. Just like the removal of Queen Vashti was only the beginning of the story for Esther, the loss of a Queen does not mean the loss of the game.
The game of chess is more than position and material. It is also a battle of time and will. God had removed Queen Vashti for a reason: to allow Queen Esther to fulfill her role in bringing about triumph for the Jews.
So, when I blundered away my Queen, I wasn't about to give up. There could be another Queen just waiting in the wings.
I had a facebook friend challenge me to describe myself using only song titles from my favorite band. I chose the Triumph song “Never Surrender” as my motto because it served me well in life and chess. I don’t know if I would have actually won this game, as I had only evened the position when my opponent resigned.
…And who knows but that you have come to your royal position for such a time as this?Esther 4:14 NIV
For Such A Time As This (White to move)
www.chessvideos.tv/chess-game-replayer.php?id=71240
[Event "2010 Jim Burden Award Contest"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/"]
[Date "2010.02.19"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Tonèek 1"]
[Black "Anderson, Paul"]
[Result "0-1"]
[ECO "B06"]
[WhiteElo "1621"]
[PlyCount "50"]
[EventDate "2010.04.01"]
1. d4 c6 2. e4 g6 3. Nf3 d6 4. Bf4 Bg7 5. Bd3 Bg4 6. Nbd2 Bxd4 7. c3 Bg7 8. O-O e5 9. Be3 Nd7 10. Qb3 Qb6 [diagram] 11. Bxb6 Nxb6 12. a4 Be6 13. Qc2 Ne7 14. b4 O-O 15. c4 Rad8 16. a5 Nbc8 17. Ng5 Bd7 18. Rad1 h6 19. Nh3 Kh7 20. Nf3 f5 21. c5 fxe4 22. Bxe4 d5 23. Bxg6+ Nxg6 24. Rfe1 Bxh3 25. Nxe5 Bf5 0-1
Without further ado, I present to you the winner of the 2024 Jim Burden Award: Nick Petersen.
This is Nick’s first time winning the award, and the game is a first for having the current winner (Nick) defeating a past winner (Chris Motley - 2019) to gain the prize. Black to move.
[Event "DCC Fall Classic"]
[Site "https://cschessnews.blogspot.com/2021/07/blunders-are-way.html"]
[Date "2024.10.13"]
[Round "4"]
[White "Nick Petersen"]
[Black "Christopher Motley"]
[Result "1-0"]
[WhiteElo "2021"]
[BlackElo "2004"]
[TimeControl "G/90 + 30"]
[Link "https://www.chess.com/analysis/library/4BEshR15cJ"]
1. d4 Nf6 2. c4 e6 3. Nc3 d5 4. e3 Be7 5. Bd3 b6 6. Nge2 Bb7 7. O-O O-O 8. Qc2 $5
c5 9. Bd2 $2 Nc6 10. cxd5 Nb4 11. Qb1 Nxd3 12. Qxd3 exd5 13. Ng3 a5 14. a4 $6 Re8 $6
(14... Ba6 15. Nb5 c4 $1 16. Qc2 Bxb5 17. axb5) 15. b3 Ne4 16. Rfc1 Bf6 17. Be1 g6
18. f3 $2 Nxg3 19. Bxg3 Rxe3 $1 20. Qxe3 Bxd4 21. Qxd4 cxd4 22. Nb5 d3 23. Rd1 Qf6
24. Bf2 Bc6 $5 (24... Ba6 $1 25. Nc7 Ra7 26. Nxa6 Rxa6 27. Ra2 Ra8 28. Rad2 Rc8 29.
Rxd3 Qb2) 25. Nd4 Re8 26. Rxd3 Bd7 27. Rad1 h5 28. h4 Be6 $5 (28... g5 $1) 29. Nb5
Rc8 30. R3d2 $6 (30. Nd4) 30... Bf5 $6 (30... g5 $1) 31. Rxd5 Bc2 32. Rd6 $1 Qe7 $6
(32... Qb2 33. Rd8+ Rxd8 34. Rxd8+ Kh7) 33. Re1 Qf8 34. Rxb6 Bxb3 35. Na7 Rb8
36. Ra6 Bxa4 37. Rxa5 Bd7 38. Rd5 Be6 39. Rd2 Qe8 40. Rc2 Qa4 41. Rec1 Bf5 42.
Rd2 Qa3 43. Rcd1 Re8 $6 44. Nb5 Qa5 45. Nd6 Rd8 $5 46. Rd5 Qa4 47. R1d4 Qa1+ 48.
Rd1 Qa4 49. R1d4 Qa1+ 50. Kh2 Be6 51. Rd1 Qa2 (51... Bxd5 $1 52. Rxa1 Rxd6) 52.
R5d2 Qb3 53. Rd3 Qb2 54. R1d2 Qb4 55. Rd4 Qc5 56. Ne4 Qe5+ 57. Kg1 Bd5 $4 58.
Rxd5 Qa1+ (58... Rxd5 59. Rxd5 Qxd5 60. Nf6+) 59. Kh2 Rf8 60. Bd4 Qa8 61. Bf6
Qb8+ 62. g3 1-0
The Colorado Springs Chess Club is an affiliate of Chess.com & USCF and meets every Sunday night for online chess & Tuesday night for OTB chess. See the calendar for details:
https://sites.google.com/view/colorado-springs-chess-club
