GM Walter Browne

[Dayffd]

"GM Browne had just finished playing in our 50th Anniversary National Open. He tied for 9th-15th. He played a 25 board simultaneous exhibition here at the Las Vegas International Chess Festival. He also taught at our chess camp and gave a lecture series. After the Chess Festival, Browne stayed the night at the home of his life-long friend, Ron Gross, who reported to us that Walter died suddenly in his sleep. We are shocked and saddened by this sudden loss."

I, too, was shocked to read this yesterday. R.I.P.

[reflectionofpower]

"GM Browne had just finished playing in our 50th Anniversary National Open. He tied for 9th-15th. He played a 25 board simultaneous exhibition here at the Las Vegas International Chess Festival. He also taught at our chess camp and gave a lecture series. After the Chess Festival, Browne stayed the night at the home of his life-long friend, Ron Gross, who reported to us that Walter died suddenly in his sleep. We are shocked and saddened by this sudden loss."

I, too, was shocked to read this yesterday. R.I.P.

I was too. I remember seeing and going, whoa! A very well-known GM.

He played Bobby for a draw in 1970:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044661

Here is one of his quotes, "If Bobby Fischer is the God of chess, I'm the Devil."

[Terry McCracken]

Sad News.

[Dr.Wael Deeb]

"GM Browne had just finished playing in our 50th Anniversary National Open. He tied for 9th-15th. He played a 25 board simultaneous exhibition here at the Las Vegas International Chess Festival. He also taught at our chess camp and gave a lecture series. After the Chess Festival, Browne stayed the night at the home of his life-long friend, Ron Gross, who reported to us that Walter died suddenly in his sleep. We are shocked and saddened by this sudden loss."

I, too, was shocked to read this yesterday. R.I.P.

I was too. I remember seeing and going, whoa! A very well-known GM.

He played Bobby for a draw in 1970:

http://www.chessgames.com/perl/chessgame?gid=1044661

Here is one of his quotes, "If Bobby Fischer is the God of chess, I'm the Devil."

R.I.P

A nice variation of the Alekhine Defence....
Dr.D

[reflectionofpower]

Sad News.

It's one of the better ways to go, in your sleep that is. At least he didn't suffer. It would have been better if he went to sleep and just got up the next day as usual but life is unexpected.

In Nov 2014 we heard a thud in my mother's bedroom. We started talking to her and she was disorientated. She had a massive stroke it turns out and some people make it out and regain some speech and movement capabilities. At first she would talk a little but eventually through that and ensuing complications she died in Jan 2015 two months later. She was never in any pain throughout the whole ordeal which was a good thing at least. Not a pretty sight looking at your mother with a tube strapped to her mouth and then you're pretty much given the advice to "do not resuscitate" because the situation is only going to get worse. So you sign the forms, they pull the plug and they put her in hospice in which she died three days later.

You never know in life. Don't take each day for granted. I know from life's experiences that I usually had wished I had appreciated someone or something more when I could have but I find myself thinking of bettering the situation after it has past or can not be rectified.

If anyone has a time machine which does not entail the butterfly effect contact me please. I need it.

[supersharp77]

A big fan of the great Walter Browne..he will be sorely missed.....a devotee of the theoretical chess opening lines such as the sicilian defence
and the Publisher of "Blitz Chess" magazine ..what a career..what a great great legacy..gone too soon....Walter Browne...

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Walter_Browne

[JVMerlino]

A brilliancy game of Browne's from 1973, with annotations from Chessmaster 9000 (can't remember who did them, I'm afraid). Unfortunately, today's top engines make a mockery of several moves in this game, most notably 29...Nxh7 (instead of Rf8), 30...Qxc3 (instead of Kf8) and that Browne had a mate in 4 with 34.Bh5, but got caught up in the glory of his sacrifices and almost gave away the half point.

I guess the big question is whether 27.Nxf7 is a sound sacrifice....?

[pgn]
[Site "New York"]
[Date "1973"]
[Round "?"]
[White "Browne, W."]
[Black "Zuckerman, B."]
[Result "1-0"]
[ECO "D60"]

{Perhaps the most successful American player of the post-Fischer era, Walter
Browne from 1974 to 1983 won or tied for first in the U.S. Championship no
less than six times. Here he shows the advantages of the "isolated Queen's
pawn" (open e-file, open diagonals for the Bishops, outpost square on e5),
in a game described at the time as an "orgy of sacrifices."} 1. d4 d5 2. c4
e6 3. Nc3 Be7 4. Nf3 Nf6 5. Bg5 O-O 6. e3 Nbd7 7. Bd3 dxc4 8. Bxc4 c5 9. O-O
a6 10. a4 cxd4 11. exd4 Nb6 12. Bb3 Bd7 13. Ne5 Bc6 14. Bc2 Nbd5 15. Bb1 Nb4
16. Re1 g6 17. Bh6 Re8 18. Ra3 Qd6 19. Ne2 Rad8 20. Rh3 Qd5 21. Nf3 Qa5 22.
Nc3 Nbd5 {Black has been outplayed -- the result of all this maneuvering has
been to transfer the White Rook from a1 to h3, where it participates in the
attack.} 23. Ne5 Nxc3 24. bxc3 Bxa4 25. Qe2 Bd7 26. Bg5 Nd5 27. Nxf7 Bxg5 {
The only move, as 27...Kxf7 loses to 28. Rxh7+ Kg8 29.Qe4.} 28. Rxh7 Nf6 {
The Rook cannot be taken either -- 28...Kxh7 29.Qh5+ (the g6 pawn is
pinned), and other moves are no better; one variation is 28... Ne7 29.Bxg6
Nxg6 30.Qh5 Nf4 31.Rh8+ Kg7 32. Qh7+ Kf6 33. Ne5 Re7 34.Ng4++.} 29. Bxg6
Nxh7 {Or 29...Bb5 30.Qe5 Rd5 31.Qxf6 Bxf6 32.Nh6+ Kf8 33.Rf7++.} 30. Qh5
Qxc3 31. Qxh7+ Kf8 32. Rf1 Qxd4 33. Ne5 Qf4 34. Nxd7+ Rxd7 35. Qh8+ Ke7 36.
Qxe8+ Kf6 37. Qxd7 Kxg6 38. Qxe6+ Bf6 39. Qe8+ Kh6 40. g3 Qb4 41. Re1 a5 42.
Re6 Qb2 43. Qf7 Kg5 44. h4+ Kg4 45. Qg6+ Kh3 46. Qf5# 1-0
[/pgn]

[lkaufman]

Walter was a good friend of mine; I was quite sorry to hear this news. I knew him since we (along with Andy Soltis) were rivals for the top Junior rating in the U.S almost half a century ago. I got him a gig in Las Vegas around 1990 giving blindfold simuls for Fidelity Electronics. About two years ago I visited him at his home, and he played a game with Komodo (at 30 to one minute time odds). Although he had had a couple bouts with cancer, he had recovered, so I don't think that was the cause of his death. His great enthusiasm for chess will be long remembered.

[fern]

I suppose Komodo won the games and for that reason you does not tell much about that, but even if he lost we would like to see how thos GM faced a monster like K.

my best
Fern

[reflectionofpower]

I suppose Komodo won the games and for that reason you does not tell much about that, but even if he lost we would like to see how thos GM faced a monster like K.

my best
Fern

I was thinking the same thing when Larry made the post.