Rice Chess Club tournament, Round 11: Black, Kupchik win as race for second place grows hotter

Roy T. Black, who on the 5th inst. adjourned his rescheduled game against Oldrich Duras in a poor and likely losing position, made an excellent recovery during yesterday's 11th round of the Rice Chess Club Summer Masters' Tournament by defeating Jacques Grommer in 33 moves.  Abraham Kupchik, one of Black's fellow contenders for second place in the tourney, likewise recorded a victory, topping Edward Tenenwurzel in a surprisingly quick 21 moves of a Queen's Gambit.  Duras, the third contender for the runner-up prize, also seems likely to score, having adjourned his game vs. Albert Marder in an advantageous position.  In other action, Jacob Bernstein topped F.P. Beynon, while George F. Adair and Harold M. Phillips adjourned their contest, which, like the Duras-Marder clash, will be completed at a later date.  The tourney's other participants were inactive, with José Capablanca and Oscar Chajes having already played their game scheduled for this round several weeks ago - a win, naturally, for the Cuban, who made a clean score in the event - and the withdrawn players Stapfer and Beihoff being paired together today in a game long since judged a double forfeit.

We present the victories by Black and Kupchik, who continue to race all-out for the finishing line.  Here Black, as second player in a Sicilian Defense, succeeds in advancing his central pawn mass to deadly effect.  The blow 28...Rcxf2!, likely overlooked by Grommer, seals White's fate, as the variations adduced in the notes make plain.

Kupchik dispatched Tenenwurzel with surprising ease to keep pace with his rivals:

Current standings:

13 points: Capablanca (13)

8 1/2 points: Black (10), Kupchik (11)

7 points: Duras (8)

6 1/2 points: Marder (10)

6 points: Chajes (10), Tenenwurzel (11) 

5 1/2 points: Bernstein (12)
5 points: Adair (10)

3 1/2 points: Beynon (11)

3 points: Grommer (11)
2 1/2 points: Phillips (9)

Withdrawn: Stapfer, Beihoff

The number in parentheses following a player's surname indicates the number of games he has played to date, including two forfeit victories over Stapfer and Beihoff. The adjourned games Phillips-Chajes, Black-Kupchik, Black-Duras, Duras-Marder, and Adair-Phillips are not included in the above table.