Encouraged by Knut Jarle Hjørnevik's list of BDGs played by masters, I was browsing old issues of BDG WORLD looking for more and came across a game by the late IM William Martz.
Some younger players may not have heard of Martz, since he died in 1983, at much too young an age, just short of his 38th birthday. Martz was an endgame artist, and in the mid-1970s I had the pleasure (in Oklahoma City, I believe), of watching a demonstration of his talent. It was that much more interesting to me then to come across the following game in the July 1963 issue of Kampars' BDG magazine:
Martz,William - Roubik,D
North Central Open, Milwaukee, 1962
BDG, Weinspach Declination
1.d4 Nf6 2.f3 d5 3.e4 dxe4 4.Nc3 e6 5.fxe4 Bb4 6.Bd3 0-0 7.Nf3 c5 8.e5 Nd5
9.0-0 [9.Bxh7+ Kh8 10.Ng5 Nxc3 11.Qh5 1-0 Diemer,EJ-Weinspach, Bischweier 1949.]
9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 Bxc3 11.Ng5 Bxd4+ 12.Kh1 g6 13.Nxh7
13...Bxe5 [13...Kxh7? 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Bxg6 fxg6 16.Qxg6+ Kh8 17.Bg5 Bxa1 18.Rxf8+ Qxf8 19.Bf6+ Qxf6 20.exf6 Bxf6 21.Qxf6+ Kh7 22.Qf7+ Kh8 23.Qf8+ Kh7 24.Qxc8+-]
14.Bg5 f6
15.Nxf8 [>=15.Bxf6 Bxf6 16.Qg4+-]
15...Kxf8 16.Bh6+ Ke7 17.Rb1 Qh8 18.Bf4 Nd7 19.Qf3 [19.Bxg6?! Bxf4 20.Rxf4 Qh6=]
19...Bxf4 20.Qxf4 f5 21.Rbe1
21...Kf6? [21...Qf6+/-]
22.Qd6 Nf8?? [22...Qf8 23.Rxe6+ Kf7 24.Rxg6 Qxd6 25.Rxd6 Ke7+-; 22...Qe8 23.g4]
23.Qe5+ 1-0.
Martz would have been no older than 17 when this game was played. The North Central Open later was renamed the William Martz Memorial North Central Open, and now is called simply the Martz Memorial.
Play through the game and download PGN
here.
9.0-0 [9.Bxh7+ Kh8 10.Ng5 Nxc3 11.Qh5 1-0 Diemer,EJ-Weinspach, Bischweier 1949.] 9...Nxc3 10.bxc3 Bxc3 11.Ng5 Bxd4+ 12.Kh1 g6 13.Nxh7
13...Bxe5 [13...Kxh7? 14.Qh5+ Kg8 15.Bxg6 fxg6 16.Qxg6+ Kh8 17.Bg5 Bxa1 18.Rxf8+ Qxf8 19.Bf6+ Qxf6 20.exf6 Bxf6 21.Qxf6+ Kh7 22.Qf7+ Kh8 23.Qf8+ Kh7 24.Qxc8+-] 14.Bg5 f6
15.Nxf8 [>=15.Bxf6 Bxf6 16.Qg4+-] 15...Kxf8 16.Bh6+ Ke7 17.Rb1 Qh8 18.Bf4 Nd7 19.Qf3 [19.Bxg6?! Bxf4 20.Rxf4 Qh6=] 19...Bxf4 20.Qxf4 f5 21.Rbe1
21...Kf6? [21...Qf6+/-] 22.Qd6 Nf8?? [22...Qf8 23.Rxe6+ Kf7 24.Rxg6 Qxd6 25.Rxd6 Ke7+-; 22...Qe8 23.g4] 23.Qe5+ 1-0.
Martz would have been no older than 17 when this game was played. The North Central Open later was renamed the William Martz Memorial North Central Open, and now is called simply the Martz Memorial.
Play through the game and download PGN here.
