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Sam
Gonotsky
The Dyke Game 1924
Black: Sam Gonotsky
White: Hershkowitz,
1. 11-15, 22-17
2. 15-19, 24x15
3. 10x19, 23x16
4. 12x19, 27-24
5. 7-10, 24x15
6. 10x19, 26-22
7. 8-11, 17-14
8. 9x18, 22x8
9. 4x11, 25-22 (a)
10. 5-9, 22-18
11. 6-10, 21-17 (b)
12. 2-6, 30-26,
13. 19-23*(c) 26x19
14. 10-14, 17x10
15. 6x22, 32-27
16. 9-14, 27-24 (d)
17. 1-6, 24-20
18. 6-9 19-16
19. 11-15, 16-11
20. 22-26, 31x22
21. 9-13, 20-16
22. 14-17 22-18 (e)
23. 15x22, 16-12
24. 22-26, 29-25
25. 26-31, 25-21
26. 17-22 21-17
27. 31-27, 17-14
28. 27-23, 14-10
29. 23-19, 11-7
30. 19-16, 7-2
31. 16-11, 10-6
32. 22-26, 6-1
33. 26-31, 1-6
34. 31-27, 6-10
35. 13-17, 10-14
36. 17-22, 14-18
37. 22-26, 2-6
38. 26-31, 6-10
39. 31-26, 18-14
40. 27-23, 14-9
41. 23-19, 10-6
42. 26-23, 6-2
43. 23-27, 9-6
44. 19-15, 6-9
45. 15-10, 9-5
46. 27-23, 5-1
47. 23-18, 2-6
48. 10-15, 1-5
49. 3-7*, 5-1
50. 7-10, 1-5
51. 10-14, 6-9
52. 15-10 9-13
53. 18-15, 5-1
54. 10-7, 1-6
55. 7-2, 6-1
56. 15-10, 28-24
57. 2-6, 1-5
58. 6-1, 24-20
59. 10-15
Sam Gonotsky's Dyke
Game where Black always wins.
Checkers Game Notes:
(a) In this position,
White could ask "How could anyone
lose a checkers game like this?" Sam
Gonotsky won many, many checkers games that
started out exactly like this. With great
cross board skill watch how he strives and
finally wins this game. This was Gonotsky's
style of play, and the reason Willie
Ryan called
him Superman Sam, the Polish Wizard.
(b) 29-25 probably draws
(c) 10-14 looks like a win, but it only draws.
(d) If 28-24, 3-8! Black wins.
(e) In my opinion this is the crux, the
critical point of the whole game. He had
two moves to consider, 16-12 or 22-18. They
both look terrible and they both look like
losses to me! In hindsight, Hershkowitz
should have played 16-12* which probably
draws. Gonotsky's games often presented
such critical decisions to his opponents.
One move loses and the other draws. In the
7th American Tourney (Rump) 1929, Sam Gonotsky
played Jesse B. Hanson a total of 12 games
in 2 rounds. Gonotsky won 3 games and both
rounds. Sam Gonotsky, of course, won 1st
prize with Hanson second. In all three Gonotsky
wins, Jesse was presented with the same
situation that Hershkowitz was, and in all
3 games Hanson picked the wrong move. After
losing an easy 2-mover (like this game)
to Sam, Hanson cried publicly and also told
Dick Fortman later, "How could I lose
a game like that?" Of course, he was
playing the one and only, the great Sam
Gonotsky! Hanson later paid tribute to champion
Sam Gonotsky's wonderful playing ability
and dubbed him "The
Sphinx".
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